The Taming Of L
by CainToYourAbel
Summary: To L, she was still nothing more than a little girl who was just like a hundred thousand other little girls. He had no need for her. And she, on her part, had no need for him. To her, he was nothing more than a boy, like a hundred thousand other boys. Okay, maybe that part wasn't true.(LxOC later on).
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! This is officially my first fanfic, so please be kind! Up front, I plan on this being a series. Romance won't come until later, just friendship for now with some eventual fluffyness. I thought long and hard about L and my character's story and was like, "There's no way I can fit it into just the Death Note anime". So, just be aware, if you can hold on, I promise I'll make it up to you guys..eventually. I plan on updating once a week, but we all know life happens. I will not abandon this story. As a faithful reader, nothing sucks worse than someone abandoning a story. Comments always welcome along with constructive criticism! Don't be shy!  
**

 **Disclaimer: In no way shape or form do I own anything from Death Note. Only my OC.**

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A small girl colored in her (admittedly) amateur drawing of a cartoon coyote with bright markers, carefully, so as not to let the colors bleed through onto the wood flooring. She was sprawled out on her stomach, propped up on her elbows and legs swinging back and forth carelessly in the air. She breathed an inaudible sigh and glanced around at her surroundings boredly. Her tiny nose scrunched up in disgust at the plain beige walls and dark floors.

How boring. This entire place is boring, she thought broodingly to herself. It had been far more entertaining living on the streets, she surmised after little contemplation. With it's towering brick walls and that screechy wrought iron gate, Wammy's House made her feel caged. Looking at her picture, she huffed.

Like a coyote in a trap, she scowled. And those stupid bells! What is this place? Notre Dame?

The seven year old was torn out of her silent venting by the obnoxiously loud voices of two demon boys who the girl had come to realize were part of the 'less intelligent' faction of Wammy's. Unimportants, she called them. Of course, they had names; the ginger on the right had some name that started with an "F" while the one on the left with the buzz cut was called something (no doubt as equally as stupid a name as the first) with an "R". What? She said they had names, not that she'd bothered to remember them. Instead, she dubbed them "Fuck-up" and "Retard" in her head. She was convinced they fed off the fear of whatever poor kid they happened to be bullying, just like all tiny monsters her age did.

Just another reason to hate people.

Fuck-up and Retard paused at the entrance of the hallway before they stole glances at each other and smirked. They advanced upon her like cackling hyenas surrounding some weak gazelle. Or whatever the hell hyenas eat. Too bad for them she wasn't weak.

"Hey!" Retard called, like she was a football field away and not right-freaking-in-front-of-him. "Weirdo!"

That's not my name.

"Hey! We're talking to you!" Fuck-up snapped, looming over her in an effort to intimidate. She wanted to laugh in their faces, but ignored them and continued coloring away. She wasn't particularly easy to intimidate either. This only seemed to agitate them more. They stood, huddled around her and seething, like vultures waiting for their next meal to get hit by a car. Fuck-up made a sound of acknowledgement before turning to Retard.

"Dude! This is that mute girl!"

I'm not mute either.

"Maybe she's deaf too?"

Retard, indeed.

"Hell if I know man! Do you know sign language?"

A vision of Retard and Fuck-up popped into her head, demanding her lunch money or whatever the hell they wanted in sign language. The girl's lips twitched and she swallowed a giggle.

"Why would I know sign language?! I ain't deaf!"

Isn't this supposed to be a house full of geniuses?

"Hey! Doooo youuu understandddd theee woooordssss III ammm sayyyyinnnngggg?" Fuck-up mocked, drawing the words out like she was the stupid one. He crouched low and got in her face, invading her sacred aura bubble like it was nothing. The little girl paused mid-stroke, slowly turning her head to face him. The boy flinched under her icy blue stare. Her eyes were hard, too hard for any normal seven year old. Her lips were pressed into a firm thin line. Their eyes locked and the boy began to sweat. He finally tore his gaze away, shaken but recovering quickly.

"Tch. Let's go, man, she's giving me the creeps," Fuck-up sneered and began walking(more like fleeing) away. Retard snorted but chased after him, mumbling a half-hearted "whatever".

They slunk away and the girl resumed her coloring. She frowned. They made me mess up my dramatic inner monologue..

Where had she been?..Ah, yes. Trapped. The girl felt trapped. She needed room to run. Things to run from. Not a couple of snot-nosed brats that couldn't even tie their shoe laces. At least, she assumed that was why they both wore those hideous sandals. Because they certainly aren't some unique fashion statement. She huffed and blew her lemon blonde bangs out of her face before rolling over onto her back. She glared at the ceiling. She needed..She needed..

Danger.

Just the word sent her heart fluttering and adrenaline racing. She whimpered slightly, throwing herself back onto her belly. She began to lightly bang her forehead against the floor. Where. Thump! The hell. Thump! Was she. Thump! Supposed. Thump! To find. Thump! Danger? THUMP! She let her forehead rest against the ground after the last thump. She sighed for what felt like the thousandth time that day. The girl hauled herself up and began gathering her things, deciding to go sulk in her room for a bit before lunch time. Her bare feet slapped softly against the wood as she rounded the next few corners.

When their insufferable tones reached her ears, she nearly groaned. Really, she shouldn't have been surprised; she'd had to go the same way they'd fled to get to her room. She cringed and considered turning around until their taunts registered in her mind.

"What a freak, man! Look at those eyes!"

A snicker, and then, "Hey, bug eyes! What's with the hunch?"

The roar of their laughter made the girl twitch in annoyance. She poked her head around the corner to observe the situation. Fuck-up and Retard had cornered another unfortunate child, no doubt seeking the self-satisfaction she had failed to give them. The girl tilted her head. 'The child' was a boy with large, dark eyes to match his messy mop of hair that looked as if it had never seen a brush before. His huge, over-sized white long-sleeved shirt and jeans were so wrinkled he vaguely reminded her of a Shar-pei. Instead of looking terrified or uncomfortable, he was gazing at them curiously with the tip of his index finger in his mouth. Overall, the boy was just plain weird. She smiled slightly. She liked weird.

She gnawed on her lip as she tried to place his face. The girl was horrible with names, but she never forgot a face. Her brows furrowed in confusion. She'd never seen this odd boy before. In the six months she'd been staying at Wammy's House, she'd made it her business to memorize all the faces of the other children an adults. Except for the one child, the one revered as some kind of legend or whatever. The one who always stayed locked up in his room, and no one had seen. The one child who was already doing detective work at the ripe old age of nine. Her eyes narrowed. No other children had entered the orphanage in the last month. It was impossible he'd just come in that day; word would have passed by her as nosey as everyone seemed. Which meant..

She could have doubled over in a fit of laughter. Those idiots have no idea who they're messing with. She stopped. The kid who was doing detective work..Detective work was dangerous..Right? A grin spread across her face. Hell-o, Danger. She wiped her face blank and stepped around the corner she'd been hiding behind and into the hallway. The strange boy's eyes immediately shifted to her and he looked her over with the same questioning look he had given his tormentors.

Retard, sensing they'd lost the boy's attention, shoved him against the wall. Retard and Fuck-up proceeded to leer in his face. Said boy leaned his head back as far as possible, like they could breathe the Plague onto him if he wasn't careful. Of course, this only served to piss them off.

"Bet his eyes wouldn't look so big if they was swollen shut!" Retard threatened.

"No, I suppose they wouldn't," the boy replied softly, turning his eyes up to the ceiling as if deep in thought, index finger still sticking out of his mouth. The two morons gaped at him. The girl let out a snort. Sassy. Retard and Fuck-up whirled around at the noise before glowering.

"Oh," Fuck-up spat, "it's you."

"You shouldn't pick on him," the girl finally spoke, a smirk twitching at her lips, "afterall, he's smarter than either of could ever hope to be."

Retard let go of the boy as he and Fuck-up sputtered.

"You can talk?!"

Duh.

"Your deductive abilities are astounding. Really," she deadpanned. The girl was positive she could see steam rolling out of their ears.

"W-why you.."

"Get her, Renegade!"

Huh. So that's his name.

"Yeah! If you don't want us screwing with him, I'll just get you instead!" Renegade declared. The girl rolled her eyes. This was just getting sad. Renegade stormed up to her, teeth clenched and nostrils flaring. She forced her stance to remain relaxed as he reached her. "Think you're tough, you mute freak?"

The girl quirked an eyebrow, expression completely unimpressed, "Didn't we just go over this? I'm not mute. I just choose not to waste my words. Talking all the time makes one sound stupid..Y'know," she taunted, "like you two."

Renegade could've ground adamantium to dust with his teeth in that moment. His expression quickly morphed into a smug smirk as he eyed her.

"That's a nice scarf," Renegade drawled casually. The girl stiffened. "I think it'd look better on me," he chuckled, reaching for the crimson scarf that drowned her tiny frame. The girl's fist struck out so fast no one was quite sure they'd seen it. Renegade was out before he hit the floor, his eye pulsing an angry shade of red. She sniffed and whipped around to send a challenging stare to the confounded Fuck-up, who was wide-eyed and spluttering nonsense. He took one last look at Renegade and decided it wasn't worth getting his ass kicked by a girl half his size. He tossed the boy aside without a second thought and hauled ass down the next hall. The boy fell back with an "oof!" and the girl winced.

She spared a glance full of scorn at the downed Renegade before muttering "prick", and approaching the boy who still sat on the ground. He was staring at Renegade with a blank expression.

"Fascinating," murmured to himself as he pressed his thumb against his bottom lip. The girl blinked before crouching down a good foot away from him.

"Um..Are you..Okay?" the girl asked awkwardly. She was never very good at these things. The boy's intense gaze didn't waver in the least bit, giving a barely perceptible nod. The girl shifted uneasily. What was she supposed to do now? She chewed on her lip in thought. Oh. Right.. She coughed and stood up.

The little girl held out her hand.

The boy stared at it, a mix of weariness and interest in his eyes.

"It's okay," the little girl gave a reassuring smile, "I'm not like them. I wont hurt you."

The little boy took her hand.

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 **Soooo, what do you guys think? I know I use "little girl" and "little boy" a lot in this chapter(also in next chapter), but it's intentional. Feedback much appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Oh, my gosh! You guys are amazeballs. Seriously. Special shout-out to ddmahan922 and SaveTheCat for being the first ones to review my story. You two shall forever hold a special place in my heart. Now, onto more serious matters. I know I said I'll be posting once a week.**

 **"But CainToYourAbel," you might point out, "it's only been a couple days."**

 **Yes. Yes it has. But A) I was super excited to get this chapter out and B) I might not be able to update next week due to my fiancee having surgery and also I have to go to my big sister's for a week for wedding planning(hers not mine) and *squeals* wedding dress shoppingggg!**

 **Ahem. Anyways. Fear not, I already have the next two chapters written and will continue to write while I'm at my sister's. So, now that that's cleared up, let's enjoy chapter 2, shall we?**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note in any way, nor do I own _Le Petite Prince_ which is where the quote that later reads comes from. Seriously, guys. You should read it, and if you can't speak french they have the english version _The Little Prince._**

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"What's your name?" The little girl asked quietly after helping the boy up. She knew damn well who he was. She also knew he was extremely paranoid(at least, that's what the rumors said anyway) and that blurting out his name was a surefire way to scare him off. No, she decided to treat him as one would a scared bunny. Slowly and gently. She watched him take a handkerchief out of his pocket and wipe his hands on it. Like she had rabies or something. All thoughts of being gentle flew from her head as her eye twitched. _Well fuck you too then_. The blonde breathed deeply and made sure to keep her face soft when his unnerving gaze met hers.

"Lost one," he answered just as softly as she had asked. Even though she'd known what was coming, she still felt herself wince. _What a horrible thing to call someone, much less a child._ She briefly debated if _Lost One_ was as cruel as _Alternate_ or _Backup._ In her head, she scowled. _How could anyone allow themselves to be called such things?_ On the outside, she scrunched up her nose in mock thought.

"Lost One? That's too long," she complained lightly. "Lost?" _No, that's still too depressing._ "Ah, I know! I'll just call you L!"

"L?" he murmured to himself, index finger between his teeth.

"Yeah, L. It suits you better than _Lost One_ ," she made a face at the name, like she'd taken a bite out of something particularly disgusting. Like Backup's strawberry jam. L watched the girl turn and face his unconscious assaulter, nudging him with her bare foot. Sky blue nail polish covered her toenails, almost the exact shade as her eyes, L noticed.

"What makes you say that?" he asked in monotone. The girl smiled at him over her shoulder.

"You don't look very lost to me," she chuckled. L was silent for a moment.

"I suppose that's acceptable," he considered quietly. An awkward silence followed. The girl hated awkward silences. They'd fill the room and press against you, suffocating and choking the life out of you, like an overbearing grandmother or a smelly fart. _Or, a smelly fart from an overbearing grandmother._ "Something amusing?"

"Huh? Oh! Uh..no. At least," her face twisted into a devious grin as she stared down at Renegade, "not yet."

The girl rolled Renegade over onto his back. L blinked when she unceremoniously plopped down on the incapacitated boy. Was this normal? _Certainly not_ , he thought in hesitation. Was she going to maim him; to leave a mark as some sort of reminder? Cut out his tongue so he could never verbally oppose her again?..Was she going to kill him to outright silence him forever? L was readying himself for anything when she started digging around in her back pocket and became thoroughly confused when she whipped out two permanent markers. Did they house poisonous chemicals of some sort? The little girl noticed the bewilderment shining in his eyes and gave him a rueful smile.

"I'm making him look as stupid as he sounds," she said as if it was the most normal thing in the world. She offered him a marker. "Wanna help?"

L narrowed his eyes. What was this girl's angle? He cautiously reached out and took the marker between his thumb and index finger. The little girl furrowed her eyebrows. He was holding it like it was going to bite him...or like it was the filthiest thing he'd ever seen. Did he think she was dirty or something? _No_ , she thought, _definitely a germaphobe._ She shrugged and yanked the marker top off with her teeth.

 _Dear God,_ L internally panicked, staring hard at the marker she'd handed him, _has she had this in her_ mouth _?_

"So, L," she said conversationally, beginning to scribble angry eyebrows onto Renegade's face(and completely missing L viciously scrubbing the pen and his hands with his handkerchief),"I don't think I've seen you around before."

"Mm, no I guess you haven't," he replied vaguely while discreetly shoving the cloth back into his pocket and moving down into some awkward crouching position. _Dude. That's gotta be hell on his back.._

"Well? Where've you been hiding?" she pressed.

"..Around," he evaded once more. The girl's lips tugged into a smirk. A challenge. This boy was going to be a challenge. She loved a challenge almost as much as she loved danger.

"Around? Liiike locked up in your room?" she tried again.

"Perhaps. Why do you wish to know?" he asked sharply, keeping his eyes locked on Renegade's forehead as his finger slowly moved the marker.

"Well, I'd like to know where my potential friend holes himself up. Y'know, just in case I deem you acceptable and all," she teased with a playful smile.

"Friend?" L muttered the word like it was foreign to him. The girl glanced up to see him staring intently at her. He'd paused mid-stroke to press his thumb against his bottom lip. _He sure does that a lot._ She fought the urge to fidget as he scrutinized her, instead meeting his gaze head on. Up close she noticed the beginnings of dark bags forming underneath his owl-like eyes. She also realized how dilated his pupils were, like he never saw the light of day.

"Yeah, you know, friends? People you choose to be around because you enjoy their company and all that mushy crap," she explained, waving her marker around for emphasis.

"I know what friends are, I just don't have any," L said simply, like it didn't bother him in the least. The girl felt a slight pang. She'd always had at least one friend, even in the streets.

"Must be lonely," she whispered gently, "not having any friends."

For a long time, L didn't respond, focusing instead on the outline he was drawing. Just when the girl thought she'd finally scared him away, she heard a barely audible, "Sometimes."

She almost dropped her marker in her surprise. She peered up at L's face and studied it. His disposition was blank, expressionless even. To anyone else it would appear nothing troubled him, but to the girl he just seemed.. _sad_. Her eyes softened.

"I'll be your friend."

L shifted uncomfortably in his crouch and wiggled his toes. The girl stared at him expectantly. What was he supposed to say to that? Sensing his trepidation, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"We could make it like a trial run!"

"..A trial run?"

"Yeah! Like..a process!" she nodded. L leaned back on the heels of his feet thoughtfully, nibbling on his thumbnail. He had to admit, the girl had certainly piqued his interest.

"What would this process consist of?" he asked professionally. The girl blinked. She hadn't thought of that.

"Well.." she trailed off uncertainly as her thoughts raced. How the hell was she supposed to "trial run" a _friendship_? She got the impression befriending L would be like trying to tame a wild animal. She stopped. _Taming a wild animal.._

"'To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world . . .'," the little girl quoted, hoping he would know where she was going with this.

L raised an eyebrow, "Are you comparing me to a fox?"

The girl grinned, "The fox was my favorite character!"

L pushed his bottom lip out with his thumb in thought before saying, "I preferred the snake."

It would be years before the girl realized the irony, or could even understand _why_ L would choose to like such a character.

"The fox did not have a happy ending in his friendship with the young prince, you know," L reminded her. The little girl simply shrugged.

"On the contrary, I'd like to think the fox believed it was better have had the prince's friendship than to have remained alone, even if it was fleeting," she argued lightly.

"..Perhaps," L turned his eyes to the ceiling.

"So?" the girl asked. "What do you say?"

"Are you proposing we meet once a day at the same time?" he asked for clarification.

"If that's what you want," she conceded. L silently shaded in his outline. _Was_ that what he wanted? Minutes ticked by as they continued doodling on Renegade's face.

"I accept your proposal," L spoke suddenly before thrusting his index finger in her face, causing her to flinch. "On one condition."

"Um..okay," the girl replied slowly, going cross-eyed while being slightly uncomfortable with his finger so close to her face. L continued on obliviously.

"I will consider your pending friendship, only if you can find where I've been residing by this time in..two days," he propositioned, leaning back again, admiring his work. The girl followed his gaze to his drawing. And promptly burst into a fit of giggles. There, in the middle of Renegade's forehead, like a bright flashing neon sign, was a giant "L" in cloister black font. She grinned at L and he felt his mouth form a small, barely perceptible smile.

"I accept your challenge, L," she smiled, determination burning in her eyes.

"Good. I expect great things from you," L wagged his finger in her face before standing up. "Although.."

"Hm?" she perked up.

"I don't think it's in very good taste to begin a friendship, even a provisional one, without giving the recipient your name," L drawled.

"Oh! I'm-"

"Wily!"

Wily cringed at the sound of Quillish Wammy's reprimanding voice. _Crap_.

"What on Earth are you doing?" he exclaimed. Wily looked everywhere but at the older man, biting her lip. She couldn't very well tell Mr. Wammy what she'd said to L about making the comatose boy look as stupid as he sounded. No, that wouldn't fly at all. She put on her best serious face.

"Rectifying an injustice," she replied matter-of-factly. Quillish's lips twitched and he lifted the small child up by her armpits. Wily was the type of child you looked in the eye, Quillish knew.

"Wily," he chided sternly, "we do _not_ draw unconscious people's faces..Why _is_ Renegade unconscious?"

Wily glanced to the side guiltily, silently begging the impassive L for help.

"Um.."

"Wily.."

Wily seemed to shrink into a ball in Quillish's hands, like a terrified kitten, eyes huge in childish begging. She tilted her head to the left, an idea crossing her mind. Her expression quickly morphed into a bright one. Then the little viper swung her arms around his neck, squeezing him happily into a hug. Quillish felt his heart melt a little. Quickly brushing it aside, he cleared his throat and bent down, gently placing her back on the ground. She wore a hopeful smile, bright eyes shining when he pulled back. He sighed. Again.

"Run along, now, Wily. You'll be late for lunch," Quillish instructed, "and no more of that behavior!"

Wily'd take that.

"Yes, sir!" she chirped. Turning to make a quick escape, she called over her shoulder, "Bye L! See you soon!"

L remained silent as Quillish muttered "that girl" under his breath with no shortage of amusement before staring down at the perfectly drawn "L" on Renegade's forehead and then the marker L still held in his hand.

"I don't suppose you had anything to do with this?" he asked L dryly.

However, L was paying him no mind, instead gazing down the hall the girl - _Wily_ \- had just disappeared down.

"Lost One?"

Wily. L smiled slightly. The name certainly suited her.

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 **And there you have it folks! The girls name is Wily. Yes. Like the coyote. I can't wait for the next chapter. B and A make their appearances next! Feedback and reviews always welcomed!  
**

 **ddmahan922: Your review made me squeal in happiness! XD Seriously, scared the shit out of my fiancee for a minute. I certainly hope it becomes one of your favorites! I try really hard to think about how L would respond and I really hope I continue getting it right. Thank you so much for your kind review! Also, cookies for you because you were my first ever review :)**

 **SaveTheCat: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Oh, my gosh! You guys are amazing! Thank you for all your wonderful reviews! I had a slow day in my week, so I though, "Eh, why not?"**

 **Now, I feel that I should explain my take on B. I think it took all that crap building up and then A's suicide as his breaking point to turn Backup into Beyond. I feel like he was basically a creepy version of Mello. That being said, as the story progresses, he will get darker more..Beyond-y. But for right now, he's not Beyond he's Backup. Enjoy the chapter you guys!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note in anyway, however, I do own my OC Wily!**

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Wily sat down at a seemingly empty table, choosing the seat next to a jar of strawberry jam. She set her tray down and munched thoughtfully on a french fry. How the hell was she supposed to find L's room? No one knew where he resided, at least none of the children did anyways. Or maybe the Firsties might? She _could_ just wander from room to room like a creeper. _No, that'd take too long,_ she frowned.

Suddenly, a hand shot up from underneath the table and slammed down onto it's surface,a head of dark hair and red eyes emerging after it, like some freaky shit out of _The Grudge._ Wily didn't even blink. The boy scowled. He hadn't managed to scare her since that one time he'd stood over her bed while she'd slept. He'd gotten nailed in the face, but it had totally been worth it. Apparently, he was going to have to step up his game. Laughter drew both children's attention to another boy with light, shaggy brown hair and bright green eyes.

"Give it up, B," A chuckled, "Wily here is immune to your weirdness."

B popped up fully from his hiding spot and slowly climbed into a crouch on the chair in front of the jar of jam, A taking the seat next to him.

"Unfortunately for _Wily here_ , I'm just getting started," B sniffed. Wily tilted her head while watching B. _He sits like L..Kinda looks like him too.._

B noticed her staring and quirked a brow, "It's rude to stare, Wily."

Wily's eyes narrowed. Like the cocky bastard didn't love being stared at.

"What's wrong, Wily? You seem distracted," A observed, taking a bite out of his sandwich. Wily wondered if she should tell them about L. It was no secret that Backup could be a bit..jealous when it came to L.

"Renegade and-"

Wily paused. She doubted they'd know who she was referring to if she said "Fuck-up".

"What's that kid's name that starts with an F?" she asked instead. Both A and B blinked.

"Uh..You mean Follow-up?" A questioned.

 _Huh..Well, I was close._

"Yeah. Renegade and Follow-up were just trying to get under my skin," she waved dismissively. Alternate scowled.

"They didn't hurt you, did they?"

"Please," B snorted, "have you _seen_ her right hook?"

Wily grinned. _Damn straight._

"Nah, B's right. They didn't stand a chance," she replied smugly. Being one of only three girls in the orphanage put her at a bit of a disadvantage, but growing up with two older brothers had definitely evened the playing field. She either learned how to fight or got held down with one of her brothers dangling a string of spit with a loogy attached in her face. And Wily did _not_ do spit _or_ loogies.

"Your modesty is endearing," B commented wryly as he stuck his fingers into the glass jar and began slurping the jam off of them. Wily cringed at his table manners. _Honestly, would it kill him to use a spoon?_

Wily hesitated, "I uh..I also met Lost One."

The effect was instantaneous. A shifted uncomfortably while B's face grew sour.

"Oh?" B asked tensely. "Probably a total snob."

"He was actually pretty.." Wily didn't think "nice" was the right word, so instead she settled for, "unique."

"Oh, I'll bet," Backup scoffed and began shoveling the jam into his mouth aggressively, like the sweet tang would get rid of the bitter taste that had settled on his tongue. Wily shared an amused glance with A. Wily tilted her head.

"Say, A," she began, "you wouldn't happen to know where his room is would you?"

Alternate shook his head, "Sorry, Wily. Only Mr. Wammy and Roger know."

"I don't see why you'd wanna know, anyway. It's not like you're friends with him," B huffed. Wily glanced around shiftily.

"Uh..Well I.."

B gave her a flat stare. She began to sweat.

"You're joking."

"Oh, leave her alone, B. I think it's good Wily's making new friends," A defended.

"If they were friends, she wouldn't be asking _us_ where his room is," B replied testily. Wily almost pointed out that _technically_ she'd only asked A.

"It's a challenge," she pouted.

"A challenge?" B perked up. Backup would take any chance to flaunt a victory over L, even if it was just helping Wily find his room.

"Yeah," she sighed sulkily, "but since only Quillish and Roger know where his room is I'll.."

Wily trailed off. When the realization hit her, she could've facepalmed.

"That's it!" she cried loudly in triumph, jumping up in victory. A and B both jumped at her sudden declaration. Wily winced. Maybe she'd said that a bit too loud, if the eyes of everyone in the cafeteria being on her told her anything. Of course, they weren't staring at her loudness. People being loud in the Wammy's House was an everyday occurrence. No, they were staring because they thought she was _mute._ A noticed the silence first and frowned, nudging B with his elbow. B glanced and scowled.

"Oh, _I'm sorry,_ " B drawled loudly, using hand motions while his voice dripped with sarcasm, "are we ruining your _fine dining experience_? As an apology, would anyone like some _shut-your-face salt_ sprinkled over their fries? Maybe some _mind-your-business mayo_ on their sandwiches? Hm? No? _Then turn around_!"

Wily hid her face in her hands in absolute mortification and begged the floor to open up and swallow her as everyone quickly turned back around. B mumbled a smug "thought so" and continued slurping his jam happily. A simply chuckled quietly to himself.

"You were saying?" he asked with no shortage of amusement.

" _Anyway._ Quillish and Roger are bound to have some info their office!" she theorized, her earlier excitement returning.

"Good thinking," A smiled.

" _But_ ," Wily said firmly. A and B quirked a brow.

"Buttt?" B encouraged.

"I need a distraction. Something big enough to get them both away from the office for a little while. A task I think you two," here she eyed B specifically, "are more than capable of pulling off."

"Leave it to us," Backup smirked. Wily grinned and stood up with determination.

"Good luck!" Alternate called after her.

Wily was barely out the door when saw one of the other two girls living in Wammy's get creamed in the face by a healthy glob of-you guessed it-strawberry jam.

"FOOD FIGHT!"

* * *

Quillish and Roger were both in their shared office, discussing the floor plans for the new wing they were planning to have built, when suddenly a very, _very_ disheveled looking maid threw the door open. Stray pieces of hair that had escaped her usually neat bun flew around her face, almost as frantic as she was. Splotches of-Quillish blinked. Was that _jelly_?-and other various condiments adorned her face and uniform.

"Lucille?" Roger asked in alarm.

"It's the children!" Lucille cried, voice bordering on hysterical. "They're mutinying! It's total anarchy in the cafeteria!"

Quillish and Roger were dumbfounded for a moment. Roger was the first to spring into action, storming out of the office with Quillish right on his heels.

"Unbelievable," Roger hissed under his breath. Quillish held in his chuckle. It seemed no amount of training could take the kid out of the genius.

Wily smirked from her hiding place down the opposite side of the hall the two older men had just hurried down.

 _Perfect._

* * *

 **Sooo, what did you guys think? I really hope I did okay with B. I dunno, I was kinda nervous about writing him. I'll try to get another chapter out this week, but with my sister's wedding stuff and my fiancé's surgery I make no promises.**

 **SaveTheCat: I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter! Next chapter is the break-in so keep a lookout! =)**

 **Suzume Kiku: I'm happy you like my story and I'll definitely keep it entertaining!**

 **CookieMonster7365: Always glad to make a fellow cookie lover smile and I'm glad you like my story!**

 **WildfireDreams: XD trust me, we haven't even scratched the surface on things to look forwd to in this story!**

 **ddmahan922: I'm glad you like Wily and L as kids, I was a little apprehensive about it at first, but it looks like I had no need to worry! So happy to make you laugh!**

 **Guest: Thank you! Enjoy the update!**

 **KineticVo: I'm glad you like it! I noticed it was hard to find childhood fics too, so I really wanted to do this one and its awesome you look forward to it!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, my amazing readers! My fiancé's surgery went really well, and we don't go wedding dress shopping til tomorrow, soooo new chapter for you guys! I probably won't be able to update again until Monday or Tuesday, just a heads up guys.**

 **Guys, I was so mad I couldn't get this thing to do strikethrough. Just pretend the minus signs are connected...Anyways, enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do note own Death Note or any of its characters, I do however own my OC, Wily.**

* * *

Wily slithered into the office like the Grinch when he stole Christmas from the Who's. Making sure to shut the door behind her, she turned to observe the room. A giant mahogany desk with a giant computer and papers scattered across it's surface sat in the center. A huge filing cabinet rested on the wall to the left and a miniature wardrobe matching the desk was on the right.

 _Hmm..If I were a vital piece of top secret information, where would I be?.._

Wily struggled to get up into the chair behind the desk, kicking her little legs back and forth in the process. At seven years old, she was almost dramatically short for her age. Normal seven year olds loomed over her, the beginning of that awkward lanky look blossoming across their bodies. Wily, on the other hand, had the legs of a Corgi. With a huff, she plopped down in the chair, cursing her genetics.

 _Right. No time for that._

She stood up in the chair, looking around at the papers strewn about. She made a face. Nothing but floor plans. She caught sight of the built-in drawers and reached for the top handle, scowling when she was met with resistance. She didn't have time to pick every lock, so shrugging the top drawer off, she moved down to the next one. A phone book and some sort accounting notebook greeted her. Pouting, she tried the bottom drawer. Immediately, her expression turned into one of delight, and she slid out of the chair.

 _My ball!_

Gleefully, she snatched the tiny bouncy ball that Roger had taken from her after she'd given him a bloody nose with it. She'd go to her grave swearing that she hadn't meant to..she just hadn't _not_ meant to either. Wily bounced it once for good measure before sticking the blue object in her pocket. She continued rifling through the drawerful of confiscated toys with interest. She knew she had other things to worry about but hey, a girl's will is only so strong. She slyly slipped a slingshot in to join her reacquired ball. Shutting the drawer, she gnawed on her lip in thought. Her eyes drifted over to the cabinet and Wily could have kicked herself. She skipped merrily over to the metal filing system and yanked the first drawer open. Or, at least, she tried to.

She wanted to cry when she discovered it was locked, but really, she shouldn't have expected less. Roger and Quillish were pretty tight with security. Wily was running out of time and options and she knew it. She could only hope she got lucky the first time. She ran back to the desk in a hurry and stole two paper clips, bending them to suit her purpose. Kneeling down and fumbling with the lock, she smirked.

 _It's all about the tumblers.._

 _Click!_

With a flourish, she slid the troublesome drawer out. Her smirk grew wider.

 _Bingo._

She started to briskly leaf through files. _Alternate. Backup. Command. Demand. Extra. Follow-up. Gadget. Haywire. Ideal. Jinx. Key.._

"Aha!" she declared in triumph. _Lost One._ She flipped the file open in victory. And then blinked in confusion. Almost all the information had been blacked out with..permanent marker? _It smells fresh.._

There was also no picture attached to the file. Wily stared hard at the piece of paper. She could feel her face turning the same shade of red as her scarf as all of the pieces clicked together...

"THAT PRICK!" she cried in outrage, fingers unintentionally crinkling the paper in a death grip. She took several deep breaths to calm herself and she glanced at the file again.

"

L-

-e-a-n-h-

e-o-r-m-w-

-w-e-d-h-y-

-l-o-i-e-e-l-u-

-i-n-l-h-f-m-

-O-n-t-w-t-

-s-h,-n-t-y-i-

"

Wily glared down at the offending parchment, trying to burn a hole into It with her eyes. Wily's brow furrowed. There was only one capital L unmarked as well a capital O and a comma..Her head tilted to the side. She squinted. Did..did L make a puzzle for her? She didn't know whether to feel special or frustrated. She settled on both. Wily folded up her new clue and stored it in her other pocket. She was just about to close the drawer when her curiosity got the better of her.

 _I wonder what my file says?_

She began going through the folders again. She knew she should get the hell out of there, but-wait. Where the hell was her file?! Wily's jaw dropped. He took her file?! She bunched up the material of her scarf and screamed into it. Who the hell was this guy?! Wily's head jerked up at the muffled shouting and stomping. Her face screwed up in what one could only assume was horror, 'cause it damn sure wasn't happiness. She slammed the drawer shut and frantically searched the room for a place to hide, fluttering her hands about in panic like a nervous butterfly. In a last ditch effort, she dove into the wardrobe, leaving a tiny crack to peer through as she shifted the few jackets around that hung in her way.

The door opened, Quillish walking in calmly while Roger charged in, hauling both Alternate and Backup behind him by their ears. Wily had to press both hands firmly against her mouth and nose to keep the giggles from escaping. Roger was covered from head to toe in some disgusting mixture of strawberry jam, mayonnaise and ketchup as well as a few lunch meats. Roger, in his quest to re-establish order, had given no thought whatsoever to storming into the cafeteria, only to suffer the same fate as poor Lucille had. Backup had been especially vicious in his assault of food warfare on the older man, laughing maniacally all the while. Quillish, after witnessing the ambush on Roger, wisely chose to remain out of firing range. Brothers in arms only went so far.

Roger turned to his long-time friend, fury clear on his face. He jabbed his finger in the direction of the two boys. A winced while B's lips twitched up in a smirk.

"Handle this, Quillish! And no slap on the wrist! Their childish behavior deserves serious consequences! Now," Roger tried to smooth his hair matted down with strawberry preservatives and fix his suit jacket, "if you'll excuse me, I need to go _clean up_."

Backup snorted. Roger's eyes narrowed and his head snapped to the red-eyed boy. Quillish coughed and motioned to the door. Wily could hear Roger's teeth grinding all the way from her hiding spot as he exited the room, a piece of bologna falling off his shoulder and plopping to the floor. Quillish turned to the sheepish A and indifferent looking B.

"Alright, you two," Quillish started, wiping all traces of humor from his face, "explain yourselves."

A shifted awkwardly while B pursed his lips, squinting up at the ceiling. Wily bit her lip. She hadn't wanted them to get in trouble..

Quillish sighed, shrugging out of his suit jacket. He didn't do it often, but when he did, he liked to hang them up neatly, hence the beautiful dark mahogany wardrobe sitting in his office. He strolled over to the wardrobe. Of _course_ he strolled over to the wardrobe. Wily scrambled back as far as she could.

Quillish opened the door as he spoke, hanging his jacket on the hook on the back of the door, "You two caused quite a bit of trouble, you know."

Alternate and Backup gaped when they caught sight of Wily, silently clawing at the confines of the wardrobe, like she could create an escape route if she tried hard enough. Her eyes were wide in terror as she stared up at the back of their caretaker.

"Hm?" Quillish noticed their slack-jaw expressions and began turning his head to peer into the wardrobe.

"NO!" A and B exclaimed in panic. Quillish blinked in surprise at the pair.

"Uh..we mean..Yes..sir. We understand it's just..Ahahaheheh..." A trailed off laughing nervously. Quillish quirked an eyebrow. Poor Wily look like a terrified hamster stuck in a cage.

"We just..thought..We thought the food was bad, so we were protesting!" B finished with finality, picking up where A left off. Quillish stared.

"You were..protesting?"

"Y-yeah!" A nodded enthusiastically.

"Don't you think that was a bit.. _extreme_?" Quillish crossed his arms.

Backup scoffed, "Have you _seen_ the turkey sandwiches? They deserve extreme protesting."

Wily had to agree. The older man's brow furrowed.

"When did you start eating anything other than strawberry jam, Backup?"

All three children nearly facepalmed.

"I've recently decided to branch out in my flavoristic endeavors," B deadpanned.

"..I see," Quillish replied slowly, "Nevertheless, there are going to be repercussions for your actions. Starting with cleaning the cafeteria. Come on, boys."

As Quillish ushered the duo out of his office, they shot glances in Wily's direction. She grinned and gave them a thumbs-up. When she was sure they were gone, she breathed a sigh of relief and hauled ass out of the room. She crouched down around the nearest corner, taking a breath. _That was really freakin' close._ After a moment she smirked triumphantly and took out the folded piece of paper that held her puzzle. She was going to solve L's mystery and beat him at his own game.

 _Won't be long now, L_ , she gave a wicked grin. Nodding, she stuck it back in her pocket. First, she had something she had to do. Wily cringed.

Help Backup and Alternate clean the cafeteria.

* * *

 **Alright guys what did you think? I seriously giggled myself silly over "flavoristic endeavors". Anyways, be sure to drop a review and let me know how you guys liked it!**

 **WildfireDreams: XD wait no more!**

 **ddmahan922: I love food fights. XD I actually started one way back when I was in middle school. Andddd that is an excellent question. One I can neither confirm nor deny. Though, I will leave carefully placed hints, so keep a lookout! I promise, she has a reason for being there, she's not just some random norm Quillish felt sorry for something.**

 **Suzume Kiku: XD How could anyone NOT love the jam?**

 **LunaCat247: Welcome to the fray, my new reader! I'm so glad my story makes you smile! To answer your question, the story I mentioned in chapter 2 is actually originally called Le Petite Prince, but the English version is called The Little Prince. We had to read it in my French class, and I absolutely fell in love with it. You can read it online or watch the movies(I suggest the live action one). If you just want to read the chapter I quoted, it's chapter 21, or if you want I can just give you the gist of it. Just let me know! Also, thank you for review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry this is late guys, I've been super busy. My sister found a dress! We went shopping and I was totally gearing up to tear in to our mom cause she can be a bit of a..handful when it comes to my sister. Like, I even told my sister I was going to cuss someone out over her if they tried ruining her day. I dunno, I guess she thought I was kidding, 'cause when one of the bitches she brought along(who wasn't even engaged) started trying on wedding dresses WHILE my sister was trying on wedding dresses I opened my mouth to say something and she panicked and was all, "No, no! It's fine", and I dunno guys, I was sho'nuff 'bout to cut a bitch.**

 _ **Anyways**_ **. I know I've been posting like 2 chapters a week, but this officially marks the 1 chapter a week rule. I think I might keep it on Wednesday so it's right there in the middle of the week, but I might change it. Your reviews have been so nice you guys! Keep it up, I love it! And now, enjoy chapter 5!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note. Like. At all. I also don't own the song from Annie. You'll know when you read it. I do, however own my OC Wily.**

* * *

"So? Did you get what you needed?" A prodded when Wily strolled in after Quillish had left them to their cleaning.

"Yeah," Wily sighed sulkily as she grabbed an extra pair of pink cleaning gloves.

"You don't sound very happy," B grumbled in irritation, sporting his own neon pink gloves that reached his forearms. ("They bring out the color of your eyes," Alternate had teased as he snatched the only yellow pair.)

"Well.."

"Don't tell me all those close calls were for nothing," Backup scowled as he scrubbed at a patch of mustard on the wall.

"No," Wily pouted, beginning to polish the floor, "he just made it harder for me to find him is all."

"How?" Alternate asked, wiping down a table. He scrunched up his face as he peeled a piece of the questionable turkey he and Backup had "protested" over off the table top and threw it into the nearby trash can.

"...He blacked out all his information and turned into an anagram," she whined to her best friends.

" _Tch_. Figures," B scoffed. A rolled his eyes.

"Can I see it, Wily?" he inquired kindly. Wily nodded and dug the crinkled paper out of her pocket once more. Alternate let out a low whistle when he glimpsed the letters.

"That's one hell of an anagram," he remarked in appreciation, much like a man admiring another guy's car.

"Gimme," B snatched it from his hand. Backup studied it for a moment, crouching down into his "thinking" position. He popped up so suddenly, Wily flinched. "Mind if I solve this?"

Wily bit her lip. Should she let him solve it? She felt like it'd be cheating..And then she remembered the blacked out words and her stolen file.

"Go for it," she answered dryly, handing him the sharpie from her back pocket. B huddled back down like a penguin.

"What are you doing?" Alternate looked affronted. B glanced around with shifty eyes.

"Solving our dear Wily's problem, of course," he answered smoothly.

"Oh no, nuh-uh, you're _not_ getting out of cleaning. Not a chance," A said firmly, waving around his soapy sponge for emphasis.

" _A_ ," Backup began seriously, grabbing Wily and smooshing her cheeks together with one neon pink hand, " _look_ at this face. This is the face of a damsel in distress-"

" _Damsel_?" Wily muttered in indignation.

"- _our_ damsel. She's on a time limit, remember? You're not going to leave her hanging, are you?" B finished, ignoring her glare. Alternate wavered marginally. Wily hated to agree with B, she _was_ pressed for time.. She widened her eyes, batted her lashes and trembled her bottom lip _just_ slightly. A gaped at her.

"Pleaseeee, A?" she begged, clasping her hands together. Alternate didn't stand a chance.

"Fine," he blew a breath of air, "you two are unbelievable."

"Nicely done, my little apprentice," B smirked and patted her head. Wily snorted and pushed his hand away.

"Yeah, sure. Just don't let me down."

He waved her off with the marker in his hand and resumed his crouch. Wily rejoined A in cleaning.

"Roger's face was so red, I thought he was gonna fry that bologna on his shoulder," Wily grinned. A laughed so hard he doubled over, clutching his stomach.

"You..you should've seen the look on his _face_ , Wily. One kid screamed, "It's peanut butter jelly time!", _and threw a peanut butter jelly sandwich at him_!" A got out between breaths. B snickered in remembrance while the other two roared with laughter.

"That," Wily declared, wiping a tear from her eye, "is hilarious."

"Roger didn't seem to think so," A chuckled.

" _Psh_. Roger doesn't think _anything_ is funny."

"True. But I'd rather not test his patience too much in one day, so let's get to work," A teased, tweaking her nose, leaving a mass of bubbles behind. And work she and Alternate did, all in silence while Backup tried cracking the anagram L had left her, wiggling his toes in thought on occasion. And that was fine. Until Wily got bored.

..

...

...

It started off as humming. Just a simple beat that _everyone_ in the world knew. Backup's eye twitched. A gently nodded his head in rhythm. Then came under the breath singing. Backup clenched his jaw. Alternate smiled. And then.

"Iiiiit's the hard knock life, for us!" Wily burst out loudly.

"It's the hard knock life, for us," A started off quietly but got louder at Wily's encouraging grin.

"No one cares for you a smidge!" she sang into her sponge.

"When you're in an or-pha-nage!" A threw his head back, belting out the words.

"Will you two knock it off!" B snapped.

"But we're booooored!" Wily whimpered.

"So draw pretty swirls in the ketchup! I got work to do, lady!"

"Well _someone_ took their vitamin Bitch this morning," she grumbled under her breath.

* * *

L observed Wily's file through pensive, half-lidded eyes. He was in his usual gargoyle-esque perch, thumb pressed firmly against his bottom lip. There wasn't much in her file to go on. Just her codename, room number, a picture and a very vague description of how Quillish had found her causing some sort of disturbance in the streets of Chicago, Illinois. Somehow, that didn't surprise him. He leaned forward and plucked the picture from the folder, holding it between his thumb and index finger. L stared at the Wily from six months ago.

The lemon-blonde hair she now kept in two low-hanging pigtails had then been matted in tangles, stringy from not being washed and shaggy from months of trim neglecting. Dirt smudged her face in a few places as well as a few scrapes. Her usual bright sky-blue eyes were dull and hollow. The mischievous glint that seemed to sparkle in laughter was absent. Lifeless. Wily's mouth was pressed into a hard line, devoid of any amusement. He noticed with a bit of curiosity, she'd had the same red scarf then as she did now. A memento of some sort, no doubt. All in all, L recognized a street kid when he saw one. He'd been one, after all.

L squinted against the sudden light from the hallway as his door opened. For a fleeting moment, he got nervous. He didn't _actually_ expect her to solve the two puzzles he'd left for her. At least, not in time anyway. He'd even gone so far as to give her a handicap; if she didn't solve the first riddle by sunset tomorrow, the next half day wouldn't matter, because she wouldn't be able to solve the second one.

Instead, a slightly confused Quillish stared back at him, pushing a cart filled with various cakes and other sweets.

"Is something the matter, Lost One? You aren't usually so jumpy," the older man asked in concern. L shifted slightly.

"No, I'm fine," he replied stoically. Quillish hesitated before nodding, stepping into the darkened room and closing the door behind him so that the only light source came from the huge computer against the wall.

"I apologize for being late. There was an..incident earlier today in the cafeteria," his caretaker informed, voice filled with hints of amusement. L perked up.

"Incident?" he prodded curiously. Quillish's lips twitched.

"There seems to have been a food fight. Interestingly enough, when I managed to settle back into my office, two children's files were missing," Quillish mentioned wryly, his eyes sliding to the open folder at L's feet. L's eyes rolled up toward the ceiling, like if he ignored said folder it would simply vanish.

"Oh?" L asked disinterestedly. The World War II veteran gave a rueful smile.

"Yes, it seems yours and Miss Wily's records have both up and disappeared."

"That is interesting.." L trailed off, a smirk beginning to grow. Wily had made her first move. He'd be willing to bet his strawberry shortcake that she had thrown a tantrum when she'd found his marked up file and discovered hers had been taken. He fingered the permanent marker in his pocket, smirk getting wider.

"Indeed," Quillish arched an eyebrow. L pursed his lips and glanced away when his caretaker crossed his arms.

"Lost One," Quillish sighed, "I don't know what game you and Miss Wily are playing, and I think it's wonderful that you've befriended someone, but let's try to keep the collateral damage down to a minimum, yes?"

"We are not friends," L corrected.

"..Oh?"

"At least, not yet anyway. Though the likelihood of it happening is very low. Maybe twelve percent..No more like ten," he responded thoughtfully.

"I see," Quillish said slowly, piecing together some of the information.

"Tell me, Mr. Wammy, why would Miss Wily wish to become friends with the famed 'Lost One'?" L asked. Oh, yes. He knew Wily'd known who he was when she'd approached him. She played the part well, but she'd let one tiny detail slip in her taunts to the other two boys. _He's smarter than either of you could ever hope to be_. That's what she'd said, and while it _could_ just mean she had been implying a _rock_ would've been smarter than those two idiots, L knew better. Regardless, he wanted to know her intentions and there was no one he trusted more than Quillish Wammy.

"Miss Wily is simply a thrill seeker. She poses no threat to you, Lost One. She's certainly something of a troublemaker, that I admit. Though, I must confess, I have noticed that once she sets her mind on something, she'll do whatever it takes to make it happen. She also hasn't taken an interest in many of the other children, so if she's decided to befriend you, it must be because she see's something interesting in you."

"What of these other "interest"? Who are they?" L nibbled on his index finger.

"Alternate and Backup," Quillish chuckled. "They've taken quite the liking to her as well. They were the culprits in today's cafeteria incident."

"Interesting.."

"Will that be all, Lost One?" Quillish asked while setting a piece of chocolate cake in front of the young boy.

"Yes, thank you," L lifted the cake up to observe it. Quillish nodded and turned to leave, pausing by the door.

"Oh, and Lost One?"

L 'hmmm'ed around a mouthful of cake.

"I wouldn't underestimate her, if I were you."

* * *

Wily hadn't seen Backup since he'd holed himself up in his room, hell-bent on solving the anagram. He'd even skipped dinner. So, Wily had gone to bed with the plan of checking in with him in the morning. She had no idea that Backup had decided to do the same thing.

When seven a.m. rolled around, Wily blearily opened her eyes. And nearly fell out of her bed. There, not even a foot away, B crouched on her bed, face inches from hers with a spine-shuddering grin spread across his lips.

"I solved it."

* * *

 **What did you guys think? I hope I did a good job with L and Quillish's scene. I'm always a little apprehensive about writing them. Reviews always welcomed!**

 **WildfireDreams: Enjoy the new chapter!**

 **Lunacat247: You're quickly becoming one of my favorite reviewers! Thank you for the kind comments! I can't tell you where L is hiding, but I CAN tell you we'll find out either in the next chapter or the chapter after that. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **ddmahan922: XD I used to hide in my closet under old jackets or under my bed(at least until I stopped fitting). Needless to say, I was pretty bad at hide-and-go-seek. Thank you for your wonderful review! Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Elise Keehl: Welcome, my new reviewer! Being part of our membership means free hugs! Wow, that sounded kind of creepy. Seriously, welcome and thank you for your kind review! It means a lot everyone thinks I'm doing a great job on keeping L in character because it really sucks when you're reading a fic and BAM! L's going to the beach dressed in _shorts_ and tots loves you forevs. XD I dunno, maybe that's just me. Anyways, thanks again for the review and hope you enjoy the chapter!**


	6. Chapter 6

**(Edit: no idea why but the page breaks won't show up in certain places. I've tried everything and can't get it to work, sorry bout that guys.)**

 **Soooo, I think I've decided on posting my chapters on Mondays...mainly due to the enormous drop in readings over the weekend, but also to give you guys something to look forward to on Mondays...because Mondays _suck_. **

**My sister and I decided to double date to the mall this past weekend and we were coming out of Spencer's and I'd just donated some money to one of the cancer charities and this woman with a notebook and some sketchy laminated pics comes up. I dunno, I guess I thought she was part of the charity and was gunna thank us or whatever. So she zeroes in on me because apparently I have "sucker" written across my forehead. The first words out of her mouth are, "I can tell you're a sweet person just by looking at your face", which automatically makes me _not_ wanna trust her, because I have a resting bitch face like no other you guys. After pointing out a girl that _looks nothing like her_ in these photos and saying that's her, she goes on about how she needs money for some fund. She then pokes me in the stomach, getting a smudge on my _white chibi L shirt_ and giggles going, "I like your shirt. You have eyes just like him". Apparently the look on my face said it all because my sister and her fiance were fucking _dying_. Yes, I have extremely dark circles under my eyes from lack of sleep that not even concealer can hide and I'm very self-conscious about it. _Thank you so much for pointing it out_. She then takes turns patting all four of us on the shoulder one by one, making everything totally insincere and hurting my fiance because _why the fuck would you pat someone on the shoulder that is in a sling?!_ Ahem. So yes. That was my weekend. **

**Hopefully, you all had a great one for me! You should also probably read the end note, because there's kind of a note of things to come in there.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own anything from Death Note, besides my white chibi L shirt. I do, however own the awesomeness that is Wily. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"W-what?" Wily stuttered, eyes wide and heart racing from the unpleasant wake up call.

"I solved it," Backup repeated himself, a smug smile twisting his features. Wily's eyes shifted from side to side.

"..Solved what?" she asked stupidly, her mind still foggy from sleep. B's face fell and he rocked back on his heels.

"The puzzle, you moron," he sighed in exasperation. Wily blinked. Realization hit her like a kick to the face. She gasped dramatically and scrambled out of her cocoon of blankets.

"You did?!"

"Yep," B popped the "p". She squealed and threw her arms around her best friend, completely disregarding his "Don't hug me. _Ever_." rule. B sputtered helplessly before scowling and prying her off. Didn't she know it was only okay when _he_ broke people's proximity boundaries?

"B, you're a genius!" Wily grinned.

" _Duh_ ," B snorted.

"Smartass. What does it say?" she inquired eagerly. B whipped the crinkled sheet out of his pocket with a flourish.

"See for yourself."

Wily's eyebrows scrunched up as she squinted at the scribbles. With all the arrows and x's and o's, it looked more like a football team's game plan than an anagram.

"Are we going to find his room, or tackle him for a touchdown?" she teased. B's expectant face soured and he sniffed.

"Either is a suitable option, though I much prefer the latter."

"Yes, yes," Wily waved dismissively, "you're terribly insecure. _We know_."

"Are you going to read the message or not?" B snapped.

"No need to get so testy, Mr. I-have-an-inferiority-complex," she giggled, moving the paper out of Backup's reach when he made to snatch it away. Still chuckling to herself, she read what B had deciphered.

" _Only when the moon hits the water will you find me,_

 _L"_

 _Another_ riddle? She'd been expecting something along the lines of ' _Awesome job, here's my room number!_ '. Just y'know..more fancily worded and with a backhanded compliment. She pouted. Was L _really_ worth all this trouble? She'd gotten married to her next door neighbor once, with less fuss than this. _I mean we got divorced like twenty minutes in when the prick tried stealing my juice box and I hit him for it, but_ still. Her eyes narrowed. She could just imagine him smirking to himself, twirling _her_ sharpie around in his fingers, all smug and shit. Her face burned in anger.

No, this was no longer a matter of ridding herself of boredom. This. This was a matter of pride. He'd shown her up. Now, it was Wily's turn. Eyes burning with resolve, she brought her fist up and struck a determined pose. Backup stared at her with a blank expression.

"Right," he deadpanned, "I'm outta here."

"Wait-what? Where are you going?" she cried, losing all confidence in herself.

"To sleep," he shrugged offhandedly.

"But-"

" _Wily_ ," Backup grabbed her by her shoulder and gazed at her seriously, "even Robin has to think for himself sometimes. _It's time_."

And then he was by the door, leaving a gaping Wily behind. _Did he just call me his sidekick?!_

"By the way," B drawled, sending her a mischievous smirk, " _love_ your pajamas."

Wily's cheeks turned dark pink when she realized she'd been wearing her pink bunny onesie(hood and built-in slippers included) the _entire time_. She was an intimidating sight, indeed. B was already out the door when she threw the pillow, his obnoxious laughter ringing in her ears. Wily sniffed haughtily and crossed her arms.

"I'm the cutest freakin' Robin _you'll_ ever have."

* * *

Padding over to her usual seat in the absolutely sparkly cafeteria, Wily nibbled on her green apple in thought. Alternate perked up when he saw her.

"There you are! Thought I was going to have to eat alone," A smiled crookedly. A, Wily had noticed, had a tendency to think people were always going to abandon him. She didn't know his story and wasn't going to ask. It was practically taboo in Wammy's House. Like some cult rule or something. _We don't discuss the past here_. She figured A just didn't like being lonely. She could relate.

"Like I'd ever let you eat by yourself," Wily teased. Alternate's smile grew warm.

"B said he cracked the code," he prodded, changing the subject.

"Mmmmppphhhmmm," she dug the paper out of her pocket while chewing on her one weakness, handmade by Frida, the cafeteria lady. _Because who doesn't love bacon french toast?_ A chuckled and read the same line Wily had stared at for five minutes.

"When the moon hits the water, huh?" he wondered.

"Any idea what that means?" Wily asked hopefully, eyes wide with syrup around her mouth. A hesitated before giving her a half-smile.

"Sorry, not a clue," he replied softly.

"That's okay," she sighed sulkily, resting her chin in her hands, "B said I need to figure it out on my own anyway."

"I'm sure you'll work it out," he grinned weakly. Wily eyed him curiously. When she opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong, those god awful bells rang. Wily cringed. A laughed and ruffled her hair. "C'mon little sister, time to go."

Wily huffed and fixed her pigtails before replying, "Nah, you go on ahead. I'm going to get to the bottom of this message."

"You're skipping lessons?" A's brow furrowed.

"Wouldn't be the first time," she shrugged before scampering off. "See you later, A!"

Alternate watched her leave somberly before sighing.

"Bye.."

* * *

Wily wandered the grounds of Wammy's aimlessly. _If the moon is going to hit the water, then the water source has to be outside, right?_ Unless, of course, it wasn't and L was just a huge asshole making her look for a bowl of water or something as equally inconspicuous. She stopped. Her eye twitched. That was totally some shit he'd do. She could tell just from his past actions against her. Wily's face fell.

She knew he was screwing with her, but what if that was all he was doing? What if these clues lead her nowhere? What if this was just some huge joke at her expense? _What if.._

Her heart clenched.

 _What if he doesn't even want to be friends?_

Sure, Wily barely knew him, but rejection was still rejection, and rejection _hurt_. Especially for someone like her.

 _"There are a lot of people out there that would do whatever it takes to see you cry, kid. Don't give them the satisfaction."_

Her older brother had told her that once. She shook her head to clear the negative thoughts. If he didn't want to be friends, that was _fine_ with her. Alternate and Backup more than filled the void her brothers had left behind. Wily half-heartedly kicked a rock. Everyone at Wammy's House was an orphan, which meant they all had voids that needed to be filled. _I wonder if L has anyone to fill his void?_

 _"I know what friends are, I just don't have any."_

She suddenly felt very sad for L. Did he not have any friends because no one liked him? Or was it because he intentionally distanced himself from people? Wily could certainly see everyone seemed to misjudge him. He came off as a bit of an asshole. Not to mention he set the standard for everyone's purpose at Wammy's House. Quillish and Roger seemed to forget how easy it was for children to become jealous. Wily also noticed how he was basically shoving her away with his impossible challenge. She knew for a fact if Alternate and Backup hadn't helped her, she never would have solved anything in time. Her brow furrowed. Maybe it was a mixture of the two? Maybe he distanced himself from everyone, because virtually everyone here hated him?

Wily had never been more determined to befriend anyone than she was in that very moment. It wasn't L's fault he was so freakin' talented. He was an orphan too, which meant he'd suffered just like the rest of the children had; something they often neglected to realize. Wily nodded to herself in absolution. She was gonna be that fucker's friend whether he wanted it or not.

Wily gazed across the courtyard. She'd sat down under one of the giant trees by the gate during her inner revelations. Her eyes settled on the beautiful marble fountain. She squinted in suspicion.

 _When the moon hits the water.._

Would L _really_ make it that easy?

 _He would if he hadn't been expecting you to solve the first half of the challenge.._

She took a deep breath to keep her anger from rising.

 _He doesn't know any better, Wily. He's just trying to protect himself, Wily. He's not a total_ dick _, Wily._

Right. She stood up and made her way back inside. She was fairly certain the fountain was the key to finding L, but she wasn't going to take any chances. There was only one man who could tell her what she needed to know. Her eyes narrowed. Quillish Wammy.

* * *

"Come in," the older man called out upon hearing Wily's knocking. She opened the door and noticed Roger's absence. Probably off crushing some poor kid's hopes and dreams. Good. Her plans always went smoother when he wasn't around.

"Miss Wily? Shouldn't you be in one of your lessons?" Quillish asked in confusion. Wily put on her best innocent smile, hopping up into the kiddy chair and swinging her little legs back and forth happily.

"I needed to ask you something for a side project I'm doing," she replied all bubbly. Quillish _just_ managed to keep his eyes from narrowing on the small girl.

"Oh?" he prodded. Wily nodded enthusiastically. "Well then, by all means, ask away."

"Well, you see," she fiddled with the ends of her scarf excitedly, "I'm doing this study on ecosystems, and I was just wondering, are there any..Oh, I dunno, bodies of water around the premises? Lakes? Ponds, maybe?"

"Afraid not. I was concerned one of the children might fall in and get injured or drown," he answered in amusement.

"Sooo...the only type of water source for..frogs..would be the fountain outside?" she pried.

"..That'd be correct, Miss Wily," her caretaker coughed to hide his chuckle. Wily grinned.

"That's what I thought. Thank you, Mr. Wammy!" she chirped, sliding out of the only chair she never had to struggle to get up on.

"Miss Wily," Quillish called after her when she was almost to the door.

"Hm?" Wily turned and stared at him expectantly. Quillish hesitated. Lost One would _not_ be happy if he interfered with the challenge he had issued for Wily, that much Quillish knew. And then Quillish remembered that, _technically_ , it was the young boy's fault for yesterday's headache.

"You'd be amazed what _frogs_ can see from the _right angle_ from the fountain," he said carefully. He wasn't going to just _give_ the answer away. His eyes finally narrowed. It had been her fault too, after all. Wily eyed the old man curiously.

"..I'll keep that in mind," she replied slowly before exiting his office and leaving the passive aggressive gentleman to his work. Quillish wasn't very surprised when he got a phone call from an angry tutor, telling him that Wily had completely skipped her lessons. Quillish sighed. Again. He'd have to put her into her real lessons soon.

* * *

Wily sat her happy ass down in front of the same tree she'd been under earlier. She was determined to keep that damn fountain in her sights, because knowing L, that sneaky bastard would probably find a way to move it or something while she wasn't looking. Her eyes narrowed. No, she was going to be there when the moon hit that water if it was the last thing she did. Even when the bell rang for lunch, Wily kept her silent vigil. Screw the fact that she was starving and bored out of her mind. Her stomach rumbled and Wily groaned.

 _C'mon Wily. You've been hungry before, it's no big deal._

Wammy's had, in a sense, ruined her survivor capabilities. She'd gone from eating once, maybe twice a day (if luck was on her side) to eating damn near whenever she pleased. When Quillish had found the food stash she'd been hoarding, he'd simply sat her down and explained to her that, as long as she was under his care, she'd never go hungry again.

Wily shook her head aggressively and pressed her fist against her stomach like she use to. She sighed and closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the trunk of the tree. Hours dragged on and Wily alternated between watching squirrels fight over acorns (they were surprisingly vicious over food, she noted) and tossing her small blue bouncy ball up and down in the air. When it got late enough in the day for the rest of the children to be out, the sun was turning orange and Wily watched some boys play football in antsy anticipation. By the time the dinner bell chimed, the stars were just beginning to shine.

Ignoring the hunger pains, Wily trodded over to the fountain to wait on the moon. Plenty of the other kids were terrified to be outside in the pitch black of night, but she'd learned long ago that the light could be just as scary. After all, in the light you could _see_ the monsters; and if you could see them, that meant they could see you as well.

Wily fidgeted as she watched the moon rise higher in the sky. Luckily, she didn't have to wait much longer. She didn't really know what to expect. Was L going to magically pop out of the fountain like some stripper in a giant birthday cake? Was some mysterious secret tunnel going to show up and lead her somewhere like the Batcave would? Was some scary guy in a black cloak going to whoosh into existence from out of nowhere and hiss, " _This way, my child_ "? She glanced around wearily just in case. Wily had been expecting a lot of things, but she sure hadn't been expecting..nothing.

As she always did when she was frustrated or angry, she bunched up her scarf and screamed into it. One long, loud scream. What the hell was she supposed to do now?

"This is some bullshit," she hissed to herself, wringing the ends of her scarf angrily. Wily stared hard at the fountain. Had she missed something? Did something happen when she was busy imagining scenarios? Wily nearly squealed in fright when there was a loud _SPLASH!_

"Um..Hello?" she called out hesitantly. She peered over the ledge of the fountain cautiously.

" _Ribbit_ ," a frog happily croaked from the water. Wily's eye twitched.

"Oh, fuck off!" she scowled, trembling in frustration. The frog looked completely unimpressed and let out another obnoxious croak.

"Stupid frog," Wily grumbled. Wait. Her brow furrowed. What had Quillish said about frogs? She stared in thought at the water.

 _When the moon hits the water..from the right angle.._

Wily breathed in sharply before slowly inching her way around the fountain. She winced when then light bounced off the water and into her eyes. She quickly backed up. Was that it? The reflection from the moonlight? Wily turned excitedly to see what the reflecting light would hit. She grew confused. That wing of the mansion was only used for storage..

 _Orrr. That's just what they_ tell _us. Nothing interesting about some extra furniture, so who would want to sneak up there? Clever._

She hurriedly mapped out which room the light was shining in to before hauling ass up the stairs and back in to the mansion. Flying up the staircase and skidding around corners, Wily was an unstoppable force. At least until she crashed into poor Alternate.

"Wily?" A groaned from the floor. "What are you _doing_? And where have you been all day?"

"Can't talk, gotta go!" Wily panted and scrambled back up and resumed her quest.

"Wily, wait!" A called after her futilely. He watched as she nearly collided with Backup who had to throw himself to the side to avoid being plowed over.

"What the hell was that?" B asked incredulously, cradling his jar of strawberry jam to his chest protectively like a newborn child.

A sighed sulkily and picked himself up from the floor, "Who knows."

* * *

L was standing in front of his window, peeking past the sheer curtain and all but eating his thumb. He was conflicted, terribly so. He didn't see her anywhere near the fountain. Did that mean she had failed? He hesitated. Maybe he shouldn't have made that anagram so difficult. He _knew_ she couldn't solve it in time. He'd made sure of it. L bit down harder on his thumb. It didn't matter. This was what he wanted..Right? From what he'd read and observed about friendships, they were messy and hard to maintain. They required communication and trust; something he knew he lacked greatly.

No, L much preferred the solitude of his quiet room, his only companions being his computer and occasionally Quillish. Deep down, he knew it was better this way. He didn't need anyone distracting him from his cases. Not to mention girls were fickle creatures that perplexed him greatly. Why did they worry themselves over trivialities such as clothes and-L cringed- _hair_? Why change clothes when they were just going to get dirty again? Why brush your hair when it was only going to get messy once more? Those were things L simply couldn't be bothered with..which is exactly why he had Quillish do it for him. He seriously doubted that _Wily_ would change his shirt, so what use was she to him? And most of all, why the _hell_ did he have this crushing feeling in his chest that he'd long ago identified as 'disappointment'?

L gave an inaudible sigh and hunkered back down in front of the giant monitor. He stared longingly at his strawberry shortcake.

"At least I'll always have you," he assured himself. He snatched the cake up from beside his keyboard and took an abnormally large bite. He chewed contentedly, noting how the cake helped dull the pang in his chest.

Suddenly, his door was all but kicked open, revealing a disheveled and out of breath Wily. She gave L an _extremely_ smug smirk and pointed at him.

"Found you."

L nearly choked on his cake.

 **Guys, I was cracking up so bad typing about L popping out of the fountain like a stripper. Like, I had to stop for a minute. You have fun with that image. Also. Holy shit, you guys. This chapter was almost double the length I usually write! I guess I'm super excited about getting into their friendship phase becauseeeee...**

 **(SPOILER ALERT)**

 **GUESS WHO'S GOING TO HELP L LEARN HOW TO PLAY TENNIS?!**

 **Yes. That's right. It's going to be amazing. And epic. And hilarious. Just to give you guys something to look forward to in this fic.**

 **(SPOILER ALERT OVER)**

 **So, be sure to leave a review! I worked super hard on this chapter for you guys! And as always, for those that _have_ reviewed, from the bottom of my itty bitty soulless heart, thank you!**

 **Awesome Guest: XD I love you too, random citizen! No, seriously. Thank you for the huge compliment and the amazing review. Saying my fic is the best you've ever read was a huge confidence booster and sent me over the moon! Your guest name certainly suits you! Hope you enjoyed the new chapter!**

 **WildfireDreams: As always, thank you! I hope you liked the new chapter!**

 **Elise Keehl: XD Not a problem, who doesn't need a free hug every now and then? I hope this chapter makes you happier than the last one since we found L! And fear not, because there will be no shorts on my watch! XD I'm going to take a stab in the dark here and say you're a Mello fan? If so, you'll (hopefully) be very happy with what I have planned for him in this fic! Thank you for your awesome review! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **ddmahan992: As the author of this fic who has already _painstakingly_ decided on how I want to do the scenes with A and B...ugh. You just have no _idea_. If I do my job as the author right, there will be tears. Or at least a few sniffles. We in the Death Note fandom have to have hard hearts..cause y'know..all our favorite characters tend to _die_ so there's that. XD on a lighter note, I'm glad you like the building of their relationships! Thank you for your amazing review and I hope you enjoyed the new chapter!**

 **Lunacat247: Thank you for the compliments! And your awesome review! I'm glad you're enjoying my story and I seriously hope it stays that way! Also, the entire premise of this story basically came to me over The Little Prince. I dunno, I guess it just kinda came to me when I was first going over the plot line and I was like, "How the hell am I supposed to make them friends? I bet trying to make friends with L is like trying to tame a wild animal", and then BAM! it just kinda happened. Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **P.s. Quillish actually really does change L's clothes for him. I giggled very hard about this.**


	7. Chapter 7

**You guys are so awesome! _Thirty four_ reviews? Keep it up! Seriously, I was super psyched over the support!**

 **And now, for the humorous weekend story:**

 **So my fiance(who is unofficially the family handyman) and I had to go over to my sister's house to figure out why only half her house had power, which resulted in the guys sweating it out in the hot as balls living room and my sister and I huddled in the only room in the house that had AC. As a thank you, they took us out for dinner. After that, my sister and I wanted milkshakes so we stopped and got some. On the way back my sister goes, "Tay, look behind us and see if there's a cop."**

 **So, I turned and looked and was like, "No?"**

 **And then she tosses the lid to her milkshake out the window. We get about a mile away and suddenly there are like 3 cop cars behind us and they all have on their blue lights. Our town is known for having over-aggressive cops, and let's face it, 3 cop cars means you're fixing to get in to some serious shit either way. So, naturally, my sister and I start spazzing out. The first words out of my panicked mouth(as I'm frantically fluttering my hands) are, "Goddammit, Tiffiney! Why'd you have to throw that top out?!"**

 **She turns around with tears in her eyes and goes, "I'm sorry! Do you think they'll let us go if I offer to go back and pick it up?!"**

 **So my soon to be brother-in-law pulls over...and all 3 cop cars speed past us. Silence. And then the guys bust out laughing.**

 **"Ahahahaha! You thought we were going to jail because she _threw a lid out_?!"**

 **..Needless to say, we were pretty embarrassed.**

 **XD anyways! Enjoy the new chapter and be sure to leave a review!**

* * *

To his credit, L kept up an amazing blank poker face. Inside, however, his thoughts were racing. How the _hell_ did she solve the anagram in time? His eyes narrowed as Quillish's words came back to haunt him.

 _"..She'll do whatever it takes to make it happen..Alternate and Backup..They've taken quite the liking to her as well.."_

 _Damn._

He'd miscalculated. L had written her off as someone too stubborn or prideful to ask for help when it came to figuring something out. He'd known she'd asked them to be a distraction, but not once did he think she'd suck it up and let them assist her with the puzzle. L eyed her. Apparently, she was someone who knew how to use her contacts to their fullest extent. He now had a nagging suspicion that she had intentionally sought out Alternate and Backup, seeing them as part of the hierarchy of Wammy's House and using that to her full advantage. _Would Alternate and Backup be fooled so effortlessly?_

L had seen how easily she had all but manipulated Quillish. That alone would make her someone to watch out for. He brought his thumb up to his lips. She was going to be one hell of an agent one day. That, of course, would make _her_ an excellent contact to have. L cleared his throat.

"Miss Wily," he finally spoke, "I've been expecting you. Although, you're later than I thought you'd be. By all means, please, come in."

Well. There was that back-handed compliment she'd nearly forgotten to expect.

 _Oh_ , Wily clenched her jaw, _he's good._

Wily smiled pleasantly and closed the door behind her.

"Yes, well, I would've been here sooner, but I had to see a man about a..frog," she finished lamely. L continued on unfazed.

"I see. You had no trouble finding me, I hope," he baited, setting down his cake and beginning to pile what Wily had no doubt was the equivalent of type 2 diabetes worth of sugar into a cup of coffee.

"Not at all," she lied cheerfully, plopping down a couple feet away. _Why is there no furniture? Who the hell doesn't keep furniture in their room?_

Then again, maybe it had something to do with the mountains of computer equipment that seemed to loom over them. _What the fuck are we supposed to do if that shit falls on us? Die in a hail of floppy disks?_

"Excellent," L replied, sipping his coffee and effectively pulling Wily out of her thoughts. He made a face and began adding more sugar. Wily watched on in slight awe. "I must admit, I had my doubts."

"Why's that?"

"Well, I thought perhaps I'd made my first hint too difficult for you to solve."

"Oh?" she asked carefully. So he _had_ been trying to thwart her. _You ass._

"Mm, yes. You see, while you're clearly above average intelligence, that anagram was meant for someone far beyond your level." **(Haha, gotta love wordplay.)**

Wily's eyes narrowed. He knew. She knew he knew. She didn't know how he knew, but he definitely knew. She hated to admit it, even to herself, but she was impressed. She'd heard stories of his amazing deductive skills, but seeing it up close was something else entirely.

 _That's okay_ , Wily internally smirked. _That'll just make it all the more interesting._

"So," Wily forced her voice to quiver as her eyes watered and her bottom lip trembled, "you're saying you _intentionally_ tried to make me fail? Does..does that mean you don't want to be my friend?.."

L hid a smile. Quillish was right. She certainly _was_ something.

"On the contrary, I find you to be quite charming, Miss Wily," L replied blankly. Wily had to stop herself from scowling.

 _Classic question evading. Real freakin' cute, L._

"You're pretty charming yourself, L," she grinned breezily, "and please, just Wily."

"Mm, very well then, _just Wily_. Tell me. How _did_ you solve the anagram?"

L watched her carefully from the corner of his eye, nibbling on his index finger. Any normal person would clam up under such circumstances, but Wily was a pro.

"Nuh-uh," she wagged a finger back and forth and threw him a wink, "girl's gotta have her secrets."

"Is that so?"

"Oh, yes," Wily gave him a coy smile, "though I must admit, it's a little hard to keep secrets when people go around stealing files and whatnot."

"Ah, yes, that reminds me. I found this the other day and thought you might like to have it back. You should be careful, Wily. It was lying around where just _anyone_ could pick it up," L seemingly pulled her file out of thin air and handed it to her with a straight face.

" _Thanks_ ," Wily deadpanned.

"I assure you, it was no trouble at all."

Wily gave him a flat stare.

L stared back.

"Yeah, okay. Time to cut the bullshit," she finally broke. L quirked an eyebrow.

"My thoughts exactly."

His eyes were half-lidded now, sensing the oncoming shit storm. Wily leaned forward, an intense scowl on her face.

"Look, pal. You and I? We're _going_ to be friends. I'm going to worm my way under your skin and stay there. Oh, sure, you'll fight it at first, but I'll win in the end. I _always_ win when it comes to these things," her voice was low and her bright eyes hard.

"Now, what makes you think that?" he wondered aloud condescendingly.

"Because. You're sad and lonely," she replied bluntly. L shifted in his crouch to face her fully.

"You think so?"

"Please," she snorted, "I can _smell_ the desperation on you."

"Well, I'm sorry to inform you-"

"Tell me, L. _Why_ were you wandering the halls that day? I'm going to assume that either Quillish or Roger brings you whatever you need or ask for. Hell, let's be honest, it's probably Quillish, because Roger would never take orders from a child, no matter how brilliant. You've got everything you could possibly desire piled up in a neat little box around you. So. _Why_ leave this room?"

L was silently floored. Why _had_ he decided to leave his room? There was no way he was going to let his inner conflict show. She'd see it and pounce.

"Am I not allowed to "wander", as you so put it, in my own home?"

Wily shot him an unimpressed look.

"After _years_ of never showing your face? Come on, you can do better than that, L."

She was determined to get a straight answer out of him.

"The communication system was broken," he responded flatly.

"Hmm. Plausible, but every bit of technology in this house was hand built by Quillish himself, who just so happens to be one of the finest inventors in the world, so y'know, that's out. Care to try again?"

"I don't have to explain my actions to you," he replied coldly. L was beginning to feel cornered, and Wily could sense it. It was a feeling she was all too familiar with, and she knew it wouldn't be much longer until he cracked. Or called Quillish to come kick her ass out. She just hoped it'd be the former.

"We had a deal," Wily hissed. L was curled up tightly, like he was using his body to shield himself from her.

"The _deal_ did not involve sharing private information."

"That's what friendship _is_ , you holier-than-thou prick," she snapped back. "You laugh, you pour your heart out, you cry, then you eat a tub of ice cream and watch a funny movie together and call it a day."

"As enticing as eating a tub of ice cream sounds, I believe our verbal contract should be made void. Please, see yourself out," L turned back to his computer. What had he been thinking? He couldn't have her around. She was reckless. She was nosey. She was.. _dangerous_. She was a danger to everything he'd built for himself.

Wily, on the other hand, was openly gaping at him. Did he just _dismiss_ her?

 _Oh, hell no._

"You owe me," she cried as a last ditch effort.

"I most certainly do not," he denied in slight indignation.

"I saved you from getting your ass kicked. You owe me," she held strong. L wasn't use to this. This determination. This questioning. This emotion. When he spoke, people would fall in line to do as he asked, no questions. He'd never had to defend himself so strongly before. Hell, then again, he'd never met anyone like Wily before.

"I can assure you, I had the situation under control and your help was not needed. Therefore, I owe you nothing."

It wasn't a lie. L had always been strong. Growing up a nameless orphan in the streets, you _had_ to be strong. It was the only way to survive. Memories of beating up the overly welcoming children of Wammy's and hoarding his favorite toys (because who was going to take them away if he could fight over them?) popped into his head and he almost smirked. That was before the orphanage had been converted into what it was now. Only normal children had lived at Wammy's back then.

"Sure didn't look like it to me," Wily growled, drawing L's focus back to her.

"No, I wouldn't expect someone like you to have seen it," his tone was icy now, all razor blades and barbed wire. Wily felt her anger rising.

"Just tell me why you left your room!" she all but barked, fist clenching in frustration.

"None of your-"

"Why?"

"This is-"

" _Why?_ "

"Enough of-"

" _Why did you leave your room?!_ "

" _Because_ ," the word came out as a shout and L closed his eyes and breathed deeply through his nose. It had been quite awhile since he'd lost his cool. For a long time, L was silent. Wily stared at him somberly. L's eyes shifted to the floor and he pressed his thumb firmly against his bottom lip before he spoke again.

"Because sometimes..sometimes I forget to remember that there's more to the world than just the images on my screen.."

Wily inhaled sharply. Images. Images children should never see. Images _no one_ should see. Images of tragedy and death. She knew about those too.

"They never really disappear," she said softly as L turned to her curiously, "but I think it helps to have someone that understands that. Someone that can chase them away, if only for a little while."

"..Maybe," L responded quietly. "Is that what Alternate and Backup do for you?"

L watched as she gave her first genuine smile. For once, she looked like a regular seven year old.

"Alternate and Backup are the best friends I've ever had. I mean, A's a little overoptimistic, and B's a kinda weird and rough around the edges, but aren't we all?" Wily chuckled before continuing. "They see me as who I am, and they're okay with it. So yeah, I guess they do chase the images away."

"I see," he was looking at her with interest. Wily hesitated, appearing bashful.

"I could chase your images away too, L. If you'll let me."

L gazed thoughtfully at his hands. That did sound nice..And L was ninety-eight percent positive that she was being truthful now. He thought hard about it. Sure, she wasn't as smart as him, but she was certainly entertaining. He had a feeling that when she wasn't focusing all her efforts on prying things out of him, she was almost always finding a way to get into trouble. L smiled slightly. He liked trouble.

"Alright."

Wily blinked.

"Alright?"

"Yes, that _is_ what I said," he drawled. Wily grinned and extended her arm, stretching out her pinky finger.

"Pinky promise?"

L stared at it in confusion before taking it in between his thumb and index finger, shaking it up and down like one would a hand. Wily threw her head back and laughed.

"No, silly," she giggled, "you're supposed to wrap your pinky around mine and say "pinky promise"."

L seemed perplexed.

"What is this "pinky promise"?"

Wily was inwardly surprised. Who didn't know what a Pinky Promise was?

 _Someone who didn't have time to be a kid.._

Wily was saddened by this realization. She covered it up quickly and leaned forward, as if sharing some life-changing secret.

"A Pinky Promise is a verbally binding contract, sealed by the laws of the universe. If someone breaks a Pinky Promise, they're instantly struck down by the recipient's wrath," Wily replied with the straightest face possible. L squinted his eyes at her. Was she being serious? Wily's face split into a grin. Making fun of him, then. No, L's brows furrowed. That wasn't the expression one used to mock him. L felt his own expression soften. She was.. _joking_ with him. His lips twitched in understanding.

"I see," he replied stoically. Wily smiled and shoved her pinky back in his face.

"Well? Come on!"

L slowly stuck his pinky finger out and looked at it. He carefully reached his hand forward, like she was going to bite it off if he moved too fast. He closed his eyes tightly and turned his head while leaning away from her as he wrapped his pinky around hers, like the entire ordeal was causing physical pain. Wily watched in amusement.

"You forgot to say "Pinky Promise"," she reminded him with a grin as he quickly snatched his hand back.

"I'm not saying that," he responded adamantly.

"Fine, fine," she waived dismissively. She pointed at him with a serious expression. "And no more dirty tricks!"

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean," his eyes rolled to the ceiling while Wily's narrowed on him.

"You know damn well what I mean."

"..I make no such Pinky Promises to that."

His face was perfectly blank, but his eyes shined with hints of amusement. Wily scowled and opened her mouth to say something when her stomach growled. Loudly. Wily's face turned bright red when his gaze snapped to her stomach in curiosity.

"You are hungry," he stated rather than asked.

"Yeah, well," she mumbled while rubbing the back of her head sheepishly, "I only ate breakfast today, so.."

"May I ask why?"

"I was kinda busy.."

"Doing what?"

His owl-like eyes bore into hers. She laughed weakly.

"Oh, y'know..Looking for you," she decided to leave out the part about her all day stakeout at the fountain. L gnawed on his thumb for a moment. He sighed and sent a regretful glance to the half-eaten piece of strawberry shortcake before sliding it over to her. He _did_ owe her, after all. Not for kicking some brat's ass, but for something else entirely. He internally snorted. Not that he'd ever tell her that.

Wily's expression brightened, and she bit into the cake happily. She stopped, however, when she noticed L gazing longingly at the plate. She shyly offered him back the strawberry. L gave a half-smile.

Maybe having a friend wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

 **For all those out there that thought maybe I couldn't be serious, here's a slightly intense chapter for you! XD And shout out to XxKalypsoxX over the warm and fuzzies near the end! Don't worry, the humor returns full swing next chapter! Be sure to drop a review, favorite, and follow!**

 **WildfireDreams: XD thank you and hope you enjoyed the new chapter!**

 **ddmahan922: We should start a support group for pale people with dark circles and bitch faces. XD We can call it _The Misunderstood and the Restless_. And I wish I could draw like that too, because that picture would be epic. XD Maybe some artistic person will see this and draw it for us! Always glad to make my readers giggle, enjoy the new chapter!**

 **Elise Keehl: XD I'm glad you liked the chapter and it made you laugh! The stripper bit popped into my head and I just could _not_ resist! XD and Mello's actually going to be a huge part in this story, just not for some time(Sorry!). Hope you enjoy the new chapter!**

 **Lunacat247: *Whispers dramatically* We're all mad here..XD so your temporary bouts of insanity will fit right in! And trust me, the Wily/L tennis scene is going to have _everyone_ rolling. XD enjoy the new chapter!**

 **Mari Clair Roemajji Celts: Homework always comes first, I totally understand. And don't worry, I try to keep L as in character as much as possible!I am actually a sixteen year old girl...who is sadly trapped in a twenty two year old woman's body, which, unfortunately means responsibilities and all that other grown-up crap(and I guess that also explains the cussing. Should I bump it up to M to be safe? I dunno, I'll try to tone it down, but no promises!) And thank you for showing your concern about my fiance! He is actually doing very well, and is in physical therapy after just getting his stitches taken out! I'm glad you're enjoying my story and getting a laugh! XD I'm big on humor. Seriously, thank you so much for all those reviews! XD And I could _totally_ picture L talking to his cake! Hope you enjoyed the new chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello again, my wayward readers! It is almost *peers blearily at clock* six a.m., but I really wanted to go ahead and push this one out. As I said the last time, the humor returns full swing in this chapter. In other words, get ready laugh your asses off! Reviews much appreciated! Seriously, I love interacting with you guys! And now, I present to you, chapter eight!**

* * *

Wily cracked open her eyes to glare at the birds perched outside her window, singing like some boisterous choir group. Most people thought that waking up to birdsong was just freakin' lovely. Wily, however, did not.

" _Shut the fuck up!_ " she yelled at the robins nestled in a tree as she slammed open the window. They squawked in alarm and quickly flew right the hell up outta there. Nodding once in a self-satisfied manner, she glanced back at her alarm and sighed. Not willing to daze back off in the five precious minutes she had left-because it would just suck having to wake up all over again-Wily trudged over to her bathroom to start getting ready.

Two hours later, and Wily found herself peering over the edge of the food station. Being so short, Wily had a bit of trouble reaching the food. But that was perfectly okay with her, because she always had her trusty cafeteria lady. Or, as Wily had dubbed her, her "food buddy". Wily placed her fingers on the edge of the counter and rested her chin between her hands, waiting patiently for the middle-aged woman to notice her.

"Ah, Wily! There you are!" Frida beamed, her Spanish accent rolling with her words. "You didn't show up for lunch or dinner yesterday! I was worried!"

Wily smiled cutely, wiggling her fingers slightly and blinked up at Frida, much like a begging puppy would it's owner. Frida chuckled and shook her head.

"Alright, Wily, what would you like for breakfast this morning?"

Wily pointed as best as she could to the items that caught her eye. Namely chocolate chip pancakes, eggs and, most importantly, _bacon_. Wily and Frida had a sort of symbiotic relationship. Wily did cute and adorable things, and for that, Frida would sneak her extra food. Needless to say, Frida had quickly become one of Wily's favorite adults in Wammy's House. Wily smiled in thanks and waddled over to her usual seat in the cafeteria.

"Oh, look. It's the low rider come to run us back over," Backup called snarkily as she approached.

"Sorry about that," Wily smiled sheepishly as she sat down.

"I take it you were successful in finding him then?" Alternate quirked a brow. Wily nodded happily as she dug into her pancakes.

"Yeah? Good for you, my cotton-tailed sidekick. Now," B leaned in close, getting all up in her aura bubble, "where's he hiding?"

Wily leaned back, eyes wide and chocolate smudges around her mouth.

"Uh.."

"Knock it off, B," A scowled. B turned his head to face his best friend, still keeping the same short distance from Wily's face.

"What?" he sneered at A. "We helped. We deserve to know his location too."

Wily's eyes narrowed. There it was. Backup always had to have some sort of ulterior motive. She knew she had no room to talk, but _still_.

"No, we don't. We helped Wily because she's our friend, not to have leverage over her for later," A argued. Backup scoffed.

" _You_ might've. I helped her precisely to have leverage over her for later."

 _Ouch._

"So all that 'damsel in distress' talk was just what? You being an ass?"

Wily glanced nervously between Alternate and Backup.

"Oh, sure. Paint _me_ out to be the bad guy here," Backup waved his hands around dramatically, " _he's_ the one that had to go and make things difficult. I just feel that we should profit from our dear Wily's misfortune."

"Gee, _thanks_ ," Wily drawled sarcastically.

"Why do you even need to know his whereabouts, B?" A squinted his eyes in suspicion.

"Obviously for future-"

"No," Wily interrupted flatly.

"But-"

" _No._ "

"Well-"

" _Hell no._ "

"Y'know, you were a lot more fun two days ago," B fell back into his crouch with a huff. A snorted.

"Yes, so much has changed in the past _two days_! Wily!" A gaped theatrically at her. "Is that you? I hardly recognized you, what with such a _stoic_ disposition you have."

Wily laughed while Backup fumed.

"Screw you guys!"

And then he was shoveling jam into his mouth in utter annoyance. Alternate and Wily continued chuckling, until a looming shadow fell across their table. B stopped mid-shovel, hand full of jam raised half-way to his wide, open mouth to join A and Wily in peering up at the sudden interruption.

"Hello, Mr. Wammy," Alternate greeted politely. Quillish smiled warmly at the three children.

"Good morning, A," he nodded, "B."

B gave a non-committal grunt and resumed eating.

"Wily, when you're finished with your meal, please come to my office," Quillish said mysteriously before taking his leave. The children watched him depart curiously.

"Oooooh," the two boys teased in unison. Wily frowned at them.

"You're in troubleee," B sang.

"I am not," Wily denied defensively.

"You're gonna get itttt," he continued.

"Knock it off!" she whined.

"Better hurry, Wily. The old man doesn't like to be kept waiiitinggg."

"A!" she whimpered.

"I'm sure it's nothing," A grinned. Wily, on the other hand, wasn't so sure.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, and Wily was standing outside the office door, wringing her scarf nervously. Gathering her courage, she knocked on the door.

"Enter," a voice called in reply. Wily was hesitant, to say the least. She opened the door and stepped into the room. Automatically, she wanted to hide. She wanted to crawl out of that room with her tail tucked between her legs. She would've thrown herself out the window in an attempt to escape if she knew he hadn't seen her already.

"Ah, Miss Wily. _Do come in_."

Before her sat every child's worst nightmare. The destroyer of hopes. The crusher of dreams. The Scarecrow to her Batman.

"Mr. Ruvie," she acknowledged the slightly balding man before her. Roger Ruvie was, without a doubt, the meanest old man that Wily had ever had the misfortune of meeting. It was no secret he hated children and often lost his temper over the littlest things. In the six months she'd been there, she couldn't recall him ever smiling, not even once. Then again, he wasn't exactly someone she wanted to be besties with, which usually resulted in her avoiding him like she avoided sketchy looking vans that had 'free candy' signs propped up in the blacked-out windows.

"Mr. Wammy told me to find him after I was done eating. Do you know where he is?" she asked cautiously as she stepped further into the room. The door swung shut behind her, effectively trapping her in.

"Quillish has become preoccupied with another matter and wished for me to address this issue."

Translation: Get ready to cry yourself into a corner bitch, 'cause I'm fixing to give you a verbal ass whoopin'.

"Issue?" Wily began to sweat. Roger leaned forward, resting his folded hands on the desktop. His eyes narrowed.

"It's come to our attention that you've missed _several_ of your lessons. Do you mind explaining _why_?"

 _Damn! That old bastard set me up_ , her mind hissed. He knew she'd charm her way out of any kind of punishment, and so, had brought in the big guns. His ace in the hole, so to speak. The one man Wily had yet to fool. _Roger freakin' Ruvie_. All in all, Wily knew she'd been tricked and that the chances of talking her way out of her current situation were slim to none. She raised her chin defiantly. If she was going out, she was going out in style, damn it.

Roger had grabbed a pencil and was scribbling what Wily assumed to be was a list of ways to torture the other children. Wily put on her best poker face as she reached deep into her ass to pull out the most absurd excuse she could think of.

"I've been..having dreams, sir," she began. Roger stopped mid-stroke to level her with a blank stare.

"Dreams," he repeated flatly.

"Not just any dreams, sir. Important, life-changing dreams," Wily almost cracked, but continued on earnestly, "but when I wake up, I forget these dreams, you see."

Roger was clenching the pencil now.

"And then I realized; the only way for me to remember these dreams, _is to go back to sleep_."

A vein was beginning to pulse in Roger's large, expanding forehead, but still, Wily pushed on.

"You see, sir, I simply can't help that I'm missing my lessons because I'm.. _chasing my dreams_."

Roger was trembling in silent fury, grinding his teeth loudly, only pausing when he spoke to ask:

"What happens in these dreams, Wily?"

She gave him a closed-eyed smile and brought her index finger up as if she had an idea and chirped cheerfully in response, "I only remember when I'm asleep!"

Roger wanted to throw that giant ass computer at her adorable little face. She appeared to be smiling sincerely, but to Roger, she might as well have been cackling and flipping him the bird. The pencil in his hand snapped in half.

" _I see_."

* * *

Three hours later found Wily staring blankly at the corner she'd been shoved into. Actually, pouting at the corner was a better description.

 _Quillish would've thought it was clever._

Roger definitely knew where to hit her. And _hard_. She was bored out of her skull. She'd been reduced to counting the tiny dimples in the walls and was certain that if her boredom increased she'd start foaming at the mouth. A smirk tugged at her lips. Of course, she still wasn't attending her lessons, so who _really_ won that battle? Wily peeked over her shoulder to see if Roger had finally tired of watching her suffer with smug satisfaction. She guessed the T-Rex theory really worked, because thankfully, he was gone.

Wily let out a sigh of relief before sinking down to the ground, resting her back against the wall. She fiddled with her scarf as her thoughts drifted. Namely, to L. She smiled involuntarily when her mind summoned the events of the night before. After Wily had devoured what remained of L's cake, Quillish had strolled through the door. At first he was shocked. That shocked expression quickly turned into a scandalized look.

* * *

 _"Miss Wily! It's highly inappropriate for you to be in here without an escort!"_

 _Wily blinked up at him in confusion._

 _"Why?"_

 _This was one conversation that Quillish_ never _wanted to have and he damn sure wasn't having it today. There would be no tom-foolery, no canoodling, no.._ What were the kids calling it these days _? Ah, yes. There would be no "messing around". Not on Quillish Wammy's watch, no sir. While he knew the odds of that_ ever _happening were practically non-existent, they were still there, and he wasn't leaving anything up to chance._

 _"Come along, Miss Wily. Say your goodbyes and bid Lost One a goodnight. It's nearly time for light's out," the older gentlemen dodged her question with a sigh. Again. Wily wanted to protest, but got a very distinct sense that Quillish would not budge on this. With furrowed eyebrows and a sulky expression, Wily turned to L._

 _"Bye, L," she mumbled softly. L gave a small nod in parting as Quillish ushered her out of the room._

* * *

Wily had closed her eyes with a frown on her face. She had _just_ found him too! What if he moved rooms now or something? Were they allowed to do that? _L probably is_. Wily scowled, opening her eyes. And jumped when black hair and dark eyes met her stare. For a moment, she thought it was B.

"W-what are you doing?" she stammered as her heart rate slowed. What was with these guys and sneaking up on people?!

L gave her an adorably childish smile and wiggled his toes.

"I believe you said something about eating a tub of ice cream?"

* * *

 **Gahhh, L, with your smiles. The cute ones not the rape-y ones. So? Wh** **at did you guys think? As always, review, favorite, follow! Next chapter is already written and it's pretty hilarious as well...there will be the Pink Panther theme song hummed.**

 **WildfireDreams: I knowww! I always thought that looking at horrible things all day had to have some kind of impact. XD So, y'know, I put it in this story. I dunno if I ever told you, but seriously, thank you for always leaving a review, even if it's just something as simple as a "good job!". Hope you enjoyed chapter eight!**

 **ddmahan922: XD I thought about giving it a reality show name, but that made me cringe worse than the soap opera idea. And** _ **Damn Straight**_ **we'd be the stars! My soap opera name shall be..** _ **TayTay Necropolis!**_ **Gives it just enough of a morbid flare. Ironically enough, I was actually named after a soap opera character. XD I have no idea why but your description of L being a "scrawny, tired, geeky thug" made me think of the parody song "White & Nerdy"! Lol and as someone who still has issues with sharing food with my best friend of over eight years, trust me, I get food-sharing is the ultimate show of friendship! XD hope you enjoyed the new chapter!**

 **Elise Keehl: Aww, thank you! I really hope you continue to think that as the story progresses! Things are definitely going to start picking up soon! Hope you got a good laugh out of chapter eight!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello again, my ever faithful viewers! Super long chapter for you guys! Did everyone have a good weekend? I certainly hope so.**

 **My baby brother went off to college yesterday. And no one told my sister or me that he was supposed to leave that day, so we missed it. Our brother is the baby, and therefor, the favorite. The very _obvious_ favorite. While my feelings were hurt, my sister was just pissed. So, as I threw myself a pity parade, my sister went out with her fiance to a bar and got absolutely hammered. I live an hour away, so I only go home when it's for a visit or something special. My sister usually drunk dials(or texts) me(if I don't answer she usually leaves a voicemail of her singing Bohemian Rhapsody because it's our song). And sure enough, at 2 a.m. my cell phone rang. So, of course I answer it, and the first thing I hear is my soon to be brother-in-law begging my sister to get in the car. To which she snaps, "Shut the fuck up, I want to talk to my sister!"**

 **Needless to say, I'm already grinning. She then turns her attention back to the phone and her voice goes all happy and sweet as she squeals, "Hi baby!"**

 **By now, I'm giggling hysterically and tell her hi. She's running around the car, away from her fiance and cackling as she's talking. She tells some jokes and makes fun of him. Then, she gets really serious.**

 **"You know I'd work myself to the bone if it meant you were okay right?"**

 **"Yes, sweety, I know."**

 **"I miss you!"**

 **"I miss you too."**

 **"I miss you more! *bursts into sobs* I miss you so much! I just wish you could move back here, so we could hang out like we used to!"**

 **I stared helplessly at the phone before saying, "We're going to move back there soon, hopefully. Don't cry."**

 **And then she's giggling again and saying how she's turning into our mother(our mother is a _very_ emotional drunk). And then she hit the mute button on her phone and couldn't figure out how to turn it off. I dunno, it just made me feel better about our family being assholes.**

 **XD So, that was my weekend.**

* * *

Wily blinked up in confusion at her new friend who was still crouched uncomfortably close to her face.

"Um..I'm being punished right now," she pointed out in a questioning tone, like she wasn't entirely sure if she was actually was being punished or not.

"Oh? For what?" L asked curiously, tilting his head like a puppy.

"For skipping my lessons," she sighed glumly, resting her chin in her palm.

"Perhaps it is because you find them too challenging?" L wondered aloud. Wily bristled.

"No!" she half-shouted defensively. Wily could solve advanced quadratic equations with the best of them. She could speak two languages and was mastering her third. She could write sonnets that would make William Shakespeare jealous. Okay, maybe she embellishing a tad, but honestly, there was nothing challenging in her lessons. That being said..

"They're just so boring!" she complained. The only fun she had ever had, had been in the Chemistry lab. That quickly changed, however, when she was banned for blowing said lab up. On accident, of course. _Honestly. You make the sprinkler system go off once and everyone loses their minds._

"I see.."

"Hey," Wily's brow furrowed, "what are you doing out of your room again?"

L perked up and wiggled his toes.

"I wished to have ice cream. I remembered what you said about eating an entire carton, and I thought you might like to join me."

Wily's expression was heart-felt. That was probably the nicest thing she'd ever heard him say. Her face quickly morphed into that of uncertainty though.

"I dunno, L. Roger was really mad.."

"Interesting," L drawled, beginning to chew on his index finger, "I didn't take you as someone to let something as mundane as a _time-out_ stop you."

Wily's gaze turned flat. He was goading her, and she knew it. She also knew her pride wouldn't let her turn away from such a jab. _Bastard._

"Tch. I'm _not_. Let's go get some freakin' ice cream," Wily hopped up in a challenging manner. L smirked internally.

"Excellent. I believe it's this way," he directed as he led the way in all his slouched glory, his pig-tailed companion hot on his heels.

"Wait, L!" Wily hissed when they reached the cafeteria. L stopped short from pushing open the door.

"Yes?" he inquired in confusion.

"We can't just _walk_ in there!"

"..We can't?"

"No! What if someone sees us? We'll get in trouble!" she huffed. L hid his amusement well. He wanted to tell her that there was no such thing as "getting in trouble" for him. What L wanted, L freakin' _got_. Instead, he decided to humor her.

"Of course. How silly of me," he deadpanned. Wily got the explicit feeling that she was missing something. She stared at him unsurely for a moment before brushing it off.

"Right. Get on your hands and knees," she commanded, completely throwing L off guard.

"..Might I ask why?"

"Because I can't see through the window in the door. I'm too short," she explained, wiggling her left leg for emphasis, as if it wasn't apparent to L that she was ridiculously tiny. Having understood that, there was no way in _hell_ she was going to stand on his back. So, L did what he was best at. He lied his ass off.

"But, Wily. By my calculations, if you stand on my back, you still would not be able to see through the glass," he said breezily. Wily wasn't totally buying it. Her eyebrows were furrowed as she looked towards him, then the window, and finally back to him.

"..Are you sure?"

"I am absolutely certain." _That you're not standing on my back._

She watched in suspicion as his eyes rolled to the ceiling. She relented with a sigh and dropped to her knees.

"Just be easy, okay?" she warned, bracing herself for pain.

"Of course," he told her as he stepped uncaringly onto her spine. Wily grunted and her arms almost gave out from the extra weight. _For someone so skinny, he's pretty_ freakin' _heavy._

"Hurry up," she whimpered as L wobbled precariously on her back. Once he was sure he'd gained his balance, he leaned forward to peer into the cafeteria.

"It appears empty," he informed her.

"Great. Now get _off_ ," she begged, her arms beginning to shake. L complied and hopped down just as her arms slid out from under her. Wily let out a pathetic sound that was a cross between a whine and a groan as she laid flat against the floor like roadkill. L, however, was unmerciful.

"Hmm. I thought you would be stronger, Wily," his tone and face were blank, but she got the distinct impression he was grinning on the inside.

"Bite me," she snapped, pushing herself back up.

"I think that would be unpleasant for the both of us," he retorted back. Wily's eye twitched. _Sassy bastard._

"Whatever. Just come on," she griped before quietly pushing open the door. L gave an internal pat to his back before following after her..and immediately being yanked down to the floor.

"What are you doing now?" he asked incredulously. Wily 'shhhh'ed him.

"We're using evasive maneuvering," she stage-whispered as she began army crawling to the kitchen.

"This is highly unsanitary," L complained sulkily. Wily snorted.

"Trust me, this floor is the cleanest it's ever been."

"That's not very comforting," he countered, crawling along beside her. Wily chose to ignore him, opting instead to start humming the theme from _Pink Panther_. L nearly jumped when, as she hit the long high note in the song, she threw herself against the nearest wall. She then proceeded to pop her head around the corner, turning left and then right. L watched on in morbid fascination.

"Alright," she cheered, "coast is clear! Come on, L!"

L sighed to himself and fell in behind her, shuffling around the serving station and into the kitchen. They stalked over to the giant walk-in freezer, and Wily popped it open, allowing L to go in first.

"Hmm. Ice cream, ice cream," L muttered to himself as looked over the many shelves. When he caught sight of the delicious treat, he let out a satisfied, "Ah!"

"What flavor is it?" Wily asked, hopping up and down in an effort to see.

"Vanilla," L supplied for her, stepping up on to his freezing tippy toes to retrieve the carton with ease.

"Blegh," Wily scrunched up her face in distaste.

"Yes, my feelings exactly. Perhaps they have chocolate syrup?" L wondered. Wily's face brightened considerably.

"I'll go look!" she exclaimed, hurrying out of the walk-in. L chuckled softly at her enthusiasm. If there was one thing he could relate to being enthused about, it was definitely chocolate syrup.

"I got it!" he heard her call as he exited the freezer, ice cream clutched protectively in hand.

"Wondeful," he commented, shambling over to the giant bins of silverware and snatching two spoons out of one.

"Should I find some bowls?"

"No need," L replied, crouching down and taking the lid off of the tub. Wily blinked...Were they really going to eat an entire tub of ice cream?...

"Come, sit," L murmured softly, holding out one of the spoons to her. Wily grinned. Ah, what the hell? Wily plopped down beside him and took the offered spoon, trading it with the syrup. She watched in wonder as he poured it directly into the carton.

"Mm, yes, that's much better," L commended around the mouthful of ice cream. He looked at her curiously. "Aren't you going to eat any?"

"Oh, right," Wily snapped out of her staring and took a spoonful. She let out a content sigh and closed her eyes, savoring the chocolate-y taste. When she opened her eyes, she almost choked when she saw nearly a fourth of the ice cream gone. She gaped at L, who continued eating on unconcerned.

"You shouldn't stare like that. It's rude. Or so I've heard. Though, I suppose I don't have much room to say anything," he hummed the last part thoughtfully and Wily snorted.

"That's what B said."

L was quiet for a moment before perking up.

"I've been doing research about friendships." _Research?_ "And I've read that part of the bond that stems between two people is acquired by learning about one another," he said somewhat eagerly.

"Um..well, yeah," Wily admitted slowly.

"Tell me then," L leaned closer, pushing his thumb against his bottom lip, "how is it you came to be friends with Alternate and Backup?"

"Oh, that?" Wily laughed, leaning back on one of her palms. "It's kind of a funny story.."

* * *

 _Wily was reading silently beside the staircase, laid out on her stomach widthwise. She paid no mind to the obnoxious cursing that seemed to be descending the staircase._

 _"I mean, who does that bastard think he is?!"_

 _"Um-"_

 _"We could do just as much as he does!"_

 _"B, there's-"_

 _"And another thing-oof!"_

 _"A girl there," a young boy finished exasperatedly. Wily groaned weakly from the new bruises blossoming across her ribs and back. She glanced up at the loudmouth that had tripped and fallen over her and scowled at him. The boy with flat, black chin-length hair and-were those_ red _eyes?- glared back._

 _"Watch where you're going!" he snapped at her. She bristled in quiet rage._

You ran into _me_ , jackass.

 _The other boy with eyes the color of jade and sandy, unkempt hair snorted._

 _"You ran into her, jackass."_

 _"Whatever. Come on," the boy she guessed was "B" huffed. Instead of following his friend like Wily thought he would, Green Eyes squatted down in front of her and smiled kindly, eliciting a groan of disapproval from his friend._

 _"Are you alright?" Green Eyes asked gently. Wily stared at him with distrusting eyes. Green Eyes observed her thoughtfully._

 _"A, come on! Just leave her!" B complained rudely, leaving Wily to throw another scathing glance his way._

 _"Don't mind him," "A" chuckled, "he's just a little cranky right now."_

 _Wily smirked slightly at B's indignant cry of, "Hey!"_

 _"What's your name?" A ignored his friend. Still, Wily didn't speak._

 _"What're you mute or something? He asked you a question, brat!"_

 _"That's enough, B" A frowned in discontent at the pale boy. When A turned his eyes back to her, his gaze softened, and he tilted his head curiously with a crooked smile. "Is that true? Can you not speak?"_

You're gonna leave a lot of girls with broken hearts when you get older, pal.

" _Or is it that you just_ choose _not to speak?" A wondered aloud, still gazing at her with interest._

Ooooh. Nice catch.

 _"Ah, I see. So that's it, huh?"_

 _"What? You think you're better than everyone else, so you just don't talk to them?" B cut in sharply. A sighed loudly._

 _"I'm sure that's not it, B. No," he smiled while eyeing her, "this one's just special."_

 _"Oh, she's_ special _, alright," B snorted._

Yeah, says the guy who couldn't see a girl sprawled out in front of him. I may be small, but I'm not _that_ small. Those creepy red eyes make you blind too, asshole?

 _"Don't listen to him," A waved dismissively, "the wise only speak when they've got something to say, right?"_

 _Wily gave a small upturn of her lips in response._

 _"You should sit with us at lunch," A suggested eagerly._

 _She decided that she rather liked A._

 _"No, she most certainly should_ not _."_

 _B, on the other hand, was an ass._

 _"We sit over by the window. Come find us then!" he grinned as he stood up, overlooking B's guffawing. And then he was gone, dragging a furiously protesting B along behind him. She stared after them curiously as silence enveloped her once more. She got to her feet slowly, tucking her small book in her back pocket and trudged down the hall. When she came upon the open doorway, she stopped and waited silently for him to notice her. When he did, he smiled warmly at her._

 _"Ah, Miss Wily. How are you acclimating so far?" Quillish asked, motioning for her to come in. Wily shuffled into the room, closing the door behind her._

 _"Okay, I guess," she replied softly, staring at the floor. Quillish watched her with a heavy heart. After three weeks of living at the orphanage, he was still the only person she would talk to._

 _"Excellent. Now, to what do I owe this surprise visit?"_

 _"Who are A and B?" Wily asked quietly, getting straight to the point. Quillish seemed surprised._

 _"They are the two top successors here at Wammy's. Why do you ask? They aren't giving you any trouble, are they?" he questioned in concern. It wouldn't be the first time he'd have to reprimand someone for making fun of her._

 _"No," Wily answered blankly, "they asked me to have lunch with them."_

Well. _A_ did.

 _Quillish blinked._

 _"That's splendid!"_

 _Was it? Wily wasn't very sure if she was even capable being friends with children anymore. All her other friendships with kids her age hadn't exactly panned out(see divorce for examples)._ _ **But**_. _Making nice with the higher-ups of Wammy's children could prove useful.._

 _"I suppose," she conceded with a ghost of a smile. "I guess that's really all I needed. Sorry for troubling you."_

 _Wily turned to go, but Quillish called out to her before she could leave._

 _"Miss Wily?"_

 _"Yes?" she hummed. Quillish hesitated before standing up and unhurriedly coming around his desk to face her._

 _"One of the maids found a stockpile of remnants from past meals and various snacks hidden under your bed," he informed her, watching her all the while. Wily felt heat flood her cheeks and creep up her neck and ears._

 _"You weren't planning on running away..were you?" he asked carefully. Wily's eyes were wide and her bottom lip was trembling._

 _"No," she answered honestly around the sudden lump in her throat, "I..I was just saving it.."_

 _"I see.."_

 _Wily's hands found purchase in her ever-present scarf and began tugging on the ends nervously. Her throat was constricting painfully, and she hated the heavy weight that had settled in her chest. She stared hard at the floor with slumped shoulders. Was he going to make her leave now?.._

 _"_ Wily _," Quillish's gaze and voice softened and he kneeled down in front of her on one knee. He gently took her hands in his, untangling them from the red fabric that hung around her neck. Wily peered up at him through her bangs, noting his earnest expression._

 _"As long as you are under my care in this house, you will_ always _have a place to sleep and food to eat. Though," here Quillish chuckled lightly, "I'd much prefer it if you didn't hide the food. It attracts bugs and vermin."_

 _"So..you're not going to send me away?" Wily asked quietly. Quillish's face hinted at the edge of sadness before giving her a fatherly smile and a light squeeze on her hands._

 _"Never."_

 _"Pinky Promise?" Wily stuck her pinky out. Quillish's shoulders shook under his silent laughter._

 _His wrinkled pinky wrapped around hers as he replied, "Of course."_

 _This seemed to satisfy the small child before him greatly. She smiled widely, red eyes turning bright again. Quillish shook his head in amusement, patting her head and standing up._

 _"Now, run along, Miss Wily. It's nearly lunch, and I'd hate to make you miss such an opportunity."_

 _"Yes, sir!" she chirped, feeling better than she had in a long time._

* * *

 _Wily watched them from a distance, feeling like a total creeper with her lunch tray in hand as she chewed on her bottom lip. She could do this. They were boys, not mutant cannibals. Wily's eyes glanced over the dark-haired male. Okay, B might be a cannibal, but A was definitely normal and seemed to keep B on a pretty good leash. There was nothing to be afraid of, right? She took a deep breath and nodded once to herself before approaching the table apprehensively._

 _"And then Roger was-Oh. It's_ you _," B sneered._

 _"Hey! You made it!" A's cheerful grin welcomed her. She gave him a shy smile in return and nodded. "Come on, sit down! We don't bite! Well," A paused in thought, "B might..but don't worry! I won't let him do anything while I'm around."_

 _Wily wasn't entirely sure if A was joking or not, but based on B's heated glare aimed in her direction, she was banking on not. She placed her tray on the table and squirmed up into the extra chair, ignoring B's snicker as she did so._

 _"B thought for sure you weren't gonna come-"_

 _"Which she_ shouldn't _have."_

 _"But I'm glad you did!" A finished happily, ignoring B's rude interruption. Wily wondered if A was ever_ un _happy. With his understanding eyes and sunny smile, the boy practically exuded a welcoming warmth. She guessed being friends with-Wily glanced at B-_ that _asshole, you'd have to be a pretty agreeable person. They were such a stark contrast against each other, total polar opposites. Wily contemplated how it was they had become friends. Maybe A had summoned the raven-haired boy out of hell via some pagan circle and virgin's blood? It would certainly explain the red eyes. Wily almost snorted at the thought._

 _"Something funny?" B snapped, curling his lip at her like any sign of joy made him want to puke. Wily blinked and shook her head. B let out a "Tch" before falling back into-was he..crouching? Like some warped gargoyle the irate boy sat with his knees drawn up to his chest. Wily stared. B either didn't notice her or just didn't care. Wily barely registered that A was speaking about something another as she watched in awed horror as B stuck his fingers into a jar of red colored jam and lifted it to his frowning mouth._

Dear _God_. Is he about to _eat_ that?

 _Wily recoiled when he began licking the sticky substance off his fingers. His eyes flew up to hers and he stopped mid-lick, tongue sticking out of his mouth. It would have been comical, if not for the glint dancing around in his crimson eyes. He slowly withdrew his tongue and a sly smirk spread across his face._

 _"Would you like some?"_

 _Wily gaped in disgust._

Hell no.

 _"I really wish you'd stop asking people that," A replied flatly. "No one wants to eat your nasty jam, B."_

 _"It's very disrespectful not to accept am offering, you know," B's smirk had turned into a cruel grin. Her eyes narrowed. Was this some sort of test? A challenge? Was he trying to scare her away?_

 _"You don't have to-"_

 _A was cut off by the loud scraping of the jar against the tabletop as she slid it close to her. Wily was never one to back down from a challenge, and she sure as hell wasn't going to be scared off by some boy who looked like he'd crawled out of a horror movie. B stared at her eagerly. There was no way in hell she was going to go through with it. No one ever did. A, on the other hand, looked panicked._

 _"Um..really, there's no-"_

 _Wily tipped the jar back and let a glob fall into her mouth. She fought the urge to gag, determined to show this smug fucker up. She swallowed quickly, careful not to pull a face and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand as she slammed the jar back down on the table, eyes staring straight into B's. A had his hand over his mouth, and his eyes were wide in silent horror._

 _"Holy shit," he breathed._

 _For the briefest of moments, B looked absolutely flabbergasted. His mouth opened and closed a few times before settling on remaining closed. His eyes went from disbelief back to his normal flat stare. Grudgingly, he gave one firm nod of approval._

 _"What's your name, kid?" B leaned forward in interest._

 _"She doesn't wanna talk, B," A frowned. B waved him off and gazed expectantly at the blonde-haired girl before him. Wily's eyes looked everywhere but at him. B snorted._

 _"C'mon. You can do_ that _, but you still won't talk?"_

 _"That's enough. Leave her alone," A argued. B continued to keep his stare on her. Wily wrung the ends of her scarf together. A and B could just make out her lips moving. A's breath left his lungs and B leaned closer, a taunting smile on his lips._

 _"What was that?"_

 _Wily squared her shoulders and finally, her eyes came back up to meet his._

 _"Wily. My name is Wily."_

* * *

By the time Wily had finished her story, the two children were all but drinking the remnants of chocolate syrup.

"I've never been a fan of jam myself. Though I do love strawberries," L admitted. Wily's face was still scrunched up at the memory, and she shuddered.

"I haven't been able to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich since," she confessed.

"No, I'd think not. Most people have trouble eating things they once enjoyed after a particularly bad experience," he said listlessly. Wily perked up a bit.

"Okay, your turn!" she declared. L seemed confused.

"My turn?"

"Yes, silly. I told you something about me, now you have to tell me something about you."

"But I just did that," L pointed out, "I told you of my love for strawberries."

Wily gave him a flat stare.

"That doesn't count."

L ran a finger in the remains of the chocolate syrup and brought it to his lips.

"Oh? Then what does?"

"Well.."

Wily hesitated. She had a feeling if she got too personal, he'd retreat, and she'd be back at square one. So, she kept it simple.

"What's your favorite color?"

"Favorite color?" L nibbled on the finger that had been licked clean. "I've never really given it much thought. Although, recently, I find myself appreciating the color blue much more than I once did."

"Hey!" Wily grinned. "That's my favorite color too!"

L gave a half-smile and opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off when a piercing roar filled the entire mansion.

"WILYYYY!"

Wily flinched and hopped up at the promise of danger. It seemed that Roger had finally noticed her absence. Wily turned to L with a gloomy expression.

"Sorry, L. I have to go now," she mumbled quietly, scuffing her foot against the floor in a light kick. L nodded and stood up as well.

"I understand. Before you go, there is something I wish to ask you."

"What is it?"

L rolled his eyes to the ceiling.

"Oh, nothing really. It's just that I was wondering; do you know how to play tennis?"

* * *

 **I came reallllly close to splitting this chapter up into two, but you guys have been so awesome, I just decided to give you a long chapter. I had a bitch of a time with this chapter. I had it written, then decided I didn't like it, so I had to start over, and B just did _not_ want to cooperate. And I haven't decided if the tennis chapter will be next or not. I'm thinking it might be number eleven. Also, it's come to my attention that I say fuck..a lot. It's kind of my go to word, really. Should I bump the rating up to M? Anyways, be sure to review, favorite and follow! For those of you that have, as always, thank you!**

 **ddmahan992: XD Ah, I continue being your clone! Days of Our Lives was actually my favorite of all my mother's soap operas(I was a serious shipper of Sami and Lucas at like five even though she was in love with Austin), and I too have ninja skills. Although, sometimes I sneak up on people on purpose(I once sat in a dark corner for thirty minutes waiting for my mother to notice me...she screamed and almost threw her glass at me). XD I hope you enjoyed the new chapter!**

 **WildfireDreams: Glad you liked the last chapter! XD I always enjoy picking on Roger. Hope you like the new chapter!**

 **LunaCat247: An excellent question! I actually plan on covering all of it. There will be five segments, which will go as follows: The Taming Of L, followed by a mystery arc, then the LABB murder case, followed by another mystery arc, and then we wrap it up with the Kira case. I think you're going to like what I have planned in my surprise arcs! XD thanks and hope you enjoy the new chapter!**

 **KimKat95: XD everyone seemed to enjoy the L talking to his cake scene. I dunno, I could just totally picture him doing it. Thank you for your reviews, and welcome to the fold! XD Free hugs are given out randomly, and we have a support group every Monday for pale people with insomnia! I hope you enjoy the new chapter! :)**


	10. Chapter 10

***sheepishly enters room* Heyyyy guyssss!...I'm late, I know. This was one of those "Life Happens" scenarios I talked about. Not to mention never sleeping is starting to catch up with me and I'm feeling a bit under the weather. But! Enough of that!**

 ***throws confetti* DOUBLE DIGITS BABY! And to celebrate, another lengthy chapter for you guys! Be sure to leave a review, follow and favorite! For those of you that have, I thank you tremendously. Enjoy chapter 10!**

* * *

Once, when Wily was five, she and her older brother had played a game of hide-and-go-seek. Wily had known that, her being so short, her brother had been expecting her to be somewhere at ground level. So, she'd climbed up onto a chair, and stood upon the kitchen counter, kicking the chair as far away as possible, so as not to rouse suspicion. She'd then walked carefully along the counter until she'd reached the toaster oven, using it to wiggle her way up on top of the refrigerator(the eighties' style refrigerators had thankfully been much smaller and shorter than the newer models). Once on top of the refrigerator, she'd opened up the cabinets above it and slid inside to hide amongst the cereal boxes.

She'd watched from the tiny crack she'd left open as her brother searched and searched for her. Wily'd had to cover her mouth to stifle her giggles as her older brother stood in the middle of the kitchen, scratching his head in confusion when he couldn't find her after an hour of seeking her out. Not once had he ever suspected she was in there, mainly due to the fact that he knew she couldn't reach it. Or so he thought. This, in turn, had led Wily to one simple conclusion; people never looked for things in the places they'd least expect to find them.

This also explained why Wily had chosen to hide in Quillish and Roger's office. In the same wardrobe, actually. So far, it was paying off. She had been nestled amongst the jackets for so long, she was sure she was becoming one of them. She was also hoping that if she stayed in there long enough, she'd be able to find an opening to Narnia. For the past two hours, she had listened to the angry roars and the sounds of Roger tearing the mansion apart in an enraged endeavor to find her. She, of course, was grinning all the while, snickers escaping her every now and then at some of Roger's more _particularly_ gruesome shouts.

The smirk was wiped off her face when the door to wardrobe was opened and she was left to gape up at the surprised face of Quillish Wammy. Quillish's surprise quickly turned into a grim disapproval.

"I suppose you think you're entirely clever, don't you?" the older gentleman frowned down at her. Wily shook her head with wide eyes, staring up at him innocently.

" _Wily_ ," Quillish sighed her name like he had so many times before, "you've caused quite a bit of trouble today."

"I didn't mean to!" was her automatic response.

"Roger's very upset with you, Miss Wily," he informed her somberly. "What made you think that it was possibly alright to disobey him?"

"I just wanted to have ice cream with Lost One," her voice wobbled. Wily watched in curiosity as that one sentence changed the entire game when Quillish's face dawned in realization. If _Lost One_ had wanted it, then...

Quillish sighed. Again. His eyes shifted towards the door.

"Roger has asked me to detain you if I should happen to see you, however, I'm blind as a bat without my glasses, you see.."

Wily noticed for the first time that he did not, in fact, have his glasses on. They were casually resting on the desk, waiting for him to pick them back up. Wily squinted. Was..was he letting her _go_?

As much as Wily appreciated the gesture, she felt safe in the wardrobe. If she were to step foot out into the open..

"These jackets have accepted me as one of their own," she replied with a straight face, "if I leave now, I might lose their trust."

" _Wily_ ," Quillish gave the silent demand.

"Alright, alright. I'm _going_ ," she huffed, crawling out of the wardrobe.

"I believe some form of apology might be in order," he suggested wryly, "Roger enjoys books about insects. Perhaps that would be a good start."

Wily grinned, taking that as her cue to leave.

"Duly noted."

* * *

Wily's heart was pounding loudly against her chest as she crept around corners in a desperate attempt at escaping Roger's wrath. Maybe if she evaded him long enough, he'd give up and find some other child to be angry with. She snorted. _Yeah, right_.

It had long since gone silent, giving the mansion an eerie feel, like some vengeful axe murderer was about to pop out and begin chasing her. Or maybe she was just being paranoid. At least, that's what she told herself as she carefully peeked around another corner. _Why are there so many freakin' corners in this place?_

Either way, she knew she was way too exposed out there in the open, like Bambi. _Or his mom_. She needed to find a place to hide and fast. She briefly entertained the idea of hiding in L's room, but quickly dismissed it when she realized Quillish would just shoo her out of there again. She couldn't hide in A's room; that'd be too obvious. And B didn't let anyone _in_ his room. Wily chewed on her bottom lip nervously as she tried to figure out what the _hell_ she was supposed to do now. Maybe she should just go hide in the woods?

 _No. That's where blonde girls in horror movies go to die._

She didn't _think_ Roger would ever really hurt her, but then again, every man had his breaking point, and she _had_ been testing his patience an awful lot lately. Wily gnawed on her thumbnail, her nerves going haywire from the pressure. Maybe she should just go find him and beg for forgiveness...

 _No._

She hadn't come this far just to punkout. An idea struck her so suddenly, she faltered in her ninja-like footsteps. It was risky, and she was sure it would just serve to piss him off even more. Oh, sure, she'd still be punished, but not near as badly as if she got caught slinking around. A sly smirk crossed her features. He'd never be able to prove anything.

* * *

L glanced at the clock on his enormous monitor. It had been nearly three hours since Roger had noticed Wily's absence, and even though all was silent for now, he had a distinct feeling that the living embodiment of all things cunning was still at large. L wondered how it was she had managed to elude Roger for so long. Then again, the blonde headed girl was quite the little sneak. He smirked slightly at the memory of Wily wiggling around on the floor, humming that godawful music all the while. Placing her unconventional methods aside, she was a bit..

"Impressive," he mumbled to himself around a mouthful of absolutely delectable cookies. He reached for more when a heated shout caused his hand to pause. It seemed Roger had finally apprehended Wily. L found himself wishing there were cameras throughout the mansion so that he may observe her reaction. Perhaps he should mention it to Quillish.

He was well aware of the consequences her actions from earlier would ensue. That was exactly why he had asked her to join him. It was all just a series of tests. Tests he had come up with after her departure the night before and early into the morning.

When Wily had told him that she'd skipped her lessons, he knew she would be called in for questioning-it was standard policy. And when Quillish had come bustling into the room at a different time than was per usual, he'd deduced that the older man had sent Roger to handle her transgressions. Wily had never stood a chance. It'd been a bit of a hassle to find exactly where Roger had stuffed her, but there were only so many places he would've been able to put her.

Asking her to join him had been the first test. Few children would risk escaping a time-out from Roger, and though she had been reluctant at first, she'd still agreed in the end. This either meant she was willing to go the distance for their newly-formed friendship, or that she had little regard for the rules. Reviewing her actions during his challenge and the events of that day, he suspected it was a mixture of the two. _Though_ , he mused, _she could just have an extreme fondness for ice cream like myself._

Then, of course, there was the shot he'd taken at her pride. But he'd figured out that flaw within the first five minutes of meeting her. If she said yes and defied Roger-like he'd predicted she would-then Wily would undoubtedly get into even _more_ trouble. Herein lied the second test. How would she react to the additional disciplinary action that had, in many senses, been L's fault? Hell, some of the original punishment had been his doing as well. She was bound to piece this information together eventually, the only question was if she would take it on the chin and roll with it, or if she'd blame it all on him and sever the friendship she had so painstakingly formed. Normal children tended to avoid others that repeatedly got them dragged into some form of victimization.

Depending on which course she took, there would be one last test. He would tell her of his orchestrated examinations. She would either become angry and _then_ end their barely-formed bond, or she would accept it at face value and move on.

L pressed the pad of his thumb to his bottom lip in thought. As much as he didn't want to get his hopes up, L couldn't help but find himself rooting for her in his own small way. He wiggled his toes eagerly. After all, he really wanted to learn how to play tennis with her.

* * *

Roger Ruvie had once been a patient man. Serving during the second World War had especially taught him the value of thinking things through. It had been a trying time in a completely different world. Nevertheless, Roger had persevered, pushing on with a battle-hardened heart and a keen eye for bullshit. But all of that changed the moment he became co-manager of Wammy's House.

Even as a child, Roger had despised other kids his age. They had tortured him relentlessly, calling him weird because of his fascination with bugs and because of his higher knowledge. "Creepy Crawly Ruvie" they had dubbed him. Roger snorted. So unoriginal. So unimaginative. So _childish_. His only solace had been his best friend, a boy who loved taking things apart and finding out how exactly it was that they worked(which may have led to an electrocution or two).

Roger had grown up with the boy, fending off bullies, making way in their academic fields and, eventually, fighting side by side during the war. When Roger had been drafted, he thought for sure that that was going to be the end of him. He wouldn't die as a well-known entomologist, he would perish in a trench amongst men he barely knew, his name forgotten in a few short years. The end. And it would've been, if not for the man he had always so admired. When Quillish's sharp-shooting had saved Roger's life during a raid, he had nearly wept, such was his desperation to live. Roger had vowed then and there to pay his lifelong friend back in any way he possibly could.

And so, when Quillish had the bright idea to start an orphanage-he'd always had a fondness for children, though Roger suspected it was because he couldn't have any-Roger had been wary, but easily accepted the offer. After all, it had been a long time since he'd been around any children; surely they weren't as bad as he remembered them.

As Roger stormed the halls of the orphanage, he knew he should've just gone with his gut instinct and told Quillish _no_. He had been searching for that blasted girl for nearly three whole hours when he passed by the corner he had originally stuck her in. He stopped short, eyes narrowing into slits behind his glasses as he glared down at the aforementioned girl with a look that could make bunnies burst into flames. She was facing the corner like she'd never left. Like she hadn't sent him raging throughout the mansion like some pissed of ghost trying to scare the bejeezus out of it's residents.

When he spoke, his tone was an icy calm.

" _Where have you been?_ "

Wily jumped, as if she didn't _know_ that he had been standing there and turned to peer up at him, face the epitome of innocence.

"I've been right here the whole time, Mr. Ruvie," she blinked up at him. Roger could feel his blood pressure rising as he stared down at this..this..this soul-sucking _demon_ disguised in adorable pigtails and pretty blue eyes.

"That's funny," his teeth ground together, "because when I came back, you had up and vanished."

Wily's head lowered guiltily and she gazed up at him through her lashes.

"I was in the bathroom..I tried to hold it, but you were gone so long..but I came right back! Honest!"

Roger closed his eyes and took several deep breaths in an effort to calm himself and not strangle the tiny monster before him. He schooled his expression into a pleasant one, slapping a strained smile onto his face.

"Is that so?" he asked through his teeth, bared in the imitation of a smile. Wily was beginning to get a bit apprehensive, but nodded up at him anyway. His head twitched to the right at her blatant lie.

"My mistake," he replied slowly, eyes narrowing in a foreboding manner.

"It's alright!" she chirped brightly, all sunshine and rainbows. Roger's hands were clenched into shaking fists behind his back. He took a languid step forward, and the smile on Wily's face froze.

"There is," he drawled the words casually, a sadistic smirk twitching at his lips, " _one more_ thing I'd like you to do before I can release you from your amercement."

* * *

Wily stared blankly at the heavy textbook about dream interpretation. It seemed that Roger could be just as much of a smartass as she could. He'd sentenced her to her room(after taking out anything even remotely interesting) for the duration of the time it would take her to write a twenty page essay on _dream interpretation_. Citation and footnotes included separately.

 _"Don't try writing big either, or I'll just make you do it over," Roger warned before stalking out of the room. Wily grinned to herself when she heard his cry of built-up frustration._

Wily scoffed.

 _What a prick._

With it being 1989, internet wasn't exactly widespread. She didn't have the luxury of specific information at the click of a mouse. No, that was a privilege reserved for Quillish, Roger and, of course, _L_. Instead, Wily was forced to use the archaic instruments of paper and pencil, leafing hopelessly through an endless sea of pages, praying that a loose sheet would give her a papercut severe enough that she would bleed out and just _die_.

A light knock on her door pulled her from her morbid daydreaming. Wily threw the book off of her lap and scrambled over to her door eagerly. It could've been the Grim Reaper come to cart her off due to her dying of boredom for all she cared, as long as it was something to distract her from that godawful report. She threw the door open to reveal a grinning Alternate and a smirking Backup.

"We heard what happened," A said in place of a greeting.

"' _Chasing my dreams_ '? Wily, you could've done so much better," B tsked. Wily snorted before peeking out into the hall to make sure Roger wasn't skulking about.

"Relax, he left for a coffee break two minutes ago," B informed her as he strolled into the room with A in tow. Wily quickly shut the door while her two best friends observed the books and papers strewn about.

"What the hell is this?" B asked incredulously.

"He's making me write a twenty page essay on dream interpretation," Wily answered with a sulky sigh.

"Who knew Roger could be sassy?" A chuckled, picking up one of the large books. He flipped through a few pages before sitting down and placing the book on his lap.

"What are you doing?" she wondered curiously. A looked up and offered her a crooked smile.

"Helping."

Wily's eyes softened while her lips gave a small upturn. Dear, sweet Alternate. Never once failing to lend a helping hand. She glanced at Backup. He scoffed and quirked a brow.

"Don't look at me. I'm not helping you. I just came to observe your misery."

Wily rolled her eyes and joined A on the floor, recounting her tale of the day's events(and admittedly adding in a few embellishments). When B began taking notes on one of the books, she pretended not to notice. He could be nice every now and then too. But only in secret.

* * *

 **Ugh, L, you ass. Always with the tests. And A, you adorable thing you..*eyes B* I guess you're nice too. Just a heads up, the next chapter might be a little late as well. Not because of life, but because it's probably going to be ridiculously long. I promised tennis in chapter eleven, therefore you shall** _ **get**_ **tennis in chapter eleven. We just gotta get through some stuff first. As always, reviews are welcome! See you guys next week!**

 **ddmahan922: XD indeed, ice cream is always a good way to build a friendship. I'm trying to work their relationship up. I don't want them to just BAM! magically best friends, y'know? Glad you liked the chapter and thank you for the review! Hope you enjoyed this one as well!**

 **KimKat95: XD I had to sit and think for like an hour about** _ **how the hell am I supposed to make B like herrrr?**_ **and then I was like "THE ANSWER IS IN THE JAM!" . Not gunna lie, A's kind of my favorite to write(next to Wily of course). He's just so cute! XD L's sassyness will only get worse as this story progresses(I giggle to myself thinking about future scenes). I too agree that hugs should remain free(there's legit a company that charges sixty dollars an hour to cuddle so I always throw the "free" in there just in case XD). Thanks for your review! Hope you enjoyed the new chapter!**

 **WildfireDreams: Glad you liked it! Thanks for the review! Hope you enjoyed the new chapter as well!**

 **Elise Keehl: Ugh, my dear, sweet A. XD I think everyone loves A here. I mean, he's just so adorable! Thanks for the review! Hope you like the new chapter!**

 **FireFox25: Thank you, and welcome to the fray! :) I hope you enjoyed the new chapter!**


	11. Chapter 11

***kicks open door* Honeyyyy, I'm hooomeee~**

 **Yes, that's right, I'm back. Actually, I never really left. This chapter just took _sooo freaking loooonggg_. It's three times what I normally write, so hopefully that makes up for my absence. **

**To all of those who ever-so-subtly (and not so subtly) expressed your concern, thank you. It gave me the warm and fuzzies.**

 **Because I literally just got done typing this chapter, and nearly cried in joy, I haven't really had a chance to go through and edit, so ignore those random mistakes, I'll go back and fix them eventually. I was also in my feels a little bit (if any of you are Walking Dead fans, you know _exactly why_ ).**

 ***squints at French in first few lines* Alright, so it's been a really, really, _really_ long time since I've even attempted spspeaking French. I _think_ I got it right, but if not, to any of my legit French speaking readers, feel free to message me with the correct usage.**

 **Alright, ladies and gentlemen, enjoy the long awaited chapter 11!**

* * *

"Qu'est-ce que c'est?" ( _What is this?_ )

A finger tapped against the picture of what was clearly a dog.

"Un oiseao." ( _A bird._ )

"…"

"…"

"Et cela?" ( _And this?_ )

The finger drifted over to the image of an elephant.

"Un chat!" came the happy reply. ( _A cat!_ )

A sigh.

"Qu'est-ce qui vous rend triste?" ( _What makes you sad?_ )

"Ces leçons." ( _These lessons._ )

An eye twitched.

"Qu'est-ce qui vous fait rire?" ( _What makes you laugh?_ )

"Votre mèche rabattue," Wily replied to the balding man in front of her. ( _Your comb-over.)_

He was one of the few people that Quillish required her to talk to, and, as a consequence, Wily made sure to make her words count; by using every snarky or sarcastic remark she could think of. Jean Bellemont stared hard at the bratty girl before him. As her tutor, it was his job to teach her several things, including French, and whatever else the powers that signed his paycheck wanted her to learn. But as an adult, he wanted nothing more than to _beat that ass_. Wily gazed back at him challengingly, a slight smirk on her lips.

 _What'cha gonna do about it, Donald Trump?_

Jean's lips smoothed out into a thin line. Cursing the girl in his native tongue, he cleared his throat.

"Zat will be all for today, Mademoiselle Wily," the middle-aged man sighed in annoyance, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Okay!" Wily beamed, wasting no time in scampering off, leaving her tutor to scowl after her. She shuffled along happily, deciding on checking to see if Alternate and Backup were done with their lessons for the day as well. A week had passed since what Wily had dubbed "The Incident", and Roger had been keeping the three children on an extremely tight leash. When they weren't being taught against their will, they were spread out (so that they "couldn't plot") amongst the mansion, doing chores and whatever else the vengeful man could come up with.

 _Totally worth it_ , she decided with a snort. Her only regret was that A and B had to suffer with her.

Wily wandered the halls aimlessly until she happened upon one of the recreational rooms. She spotted B instantly against the bland walls, standing in front of one of the many bookcases with his back to her. Her eyebrows furrowed when she noticed his usually slouched shoulders bouncing up and down in aggravation.

"B?" she called out curiously. Backup jumped when he heard her voice and jammed his hands into his pockets.

 _Well. That's not suspicious at all._

"What?" he growled in annoyance. Wily blinked.

"What are you doing?" she wondered aloud. B's eyes darted around nervously as if searching for something.

"Nothing," he replied with a scowl.

"Oh..okay," she said uncertainly. "Have you seen A?"

"He's still in his lessons," he answered shortly. Wily shifted shyly.

"Oh..um..well, do you wanna come play with me?" she asked hopefully. B almost snorted. He glanced around again.

"No," he snapped, "get lost."

Wily's face fell, and her shoulders slumped. Backup hid his twinge of guilt with a well-practiced frown.

"Okay," she mumbled sadly, turning away to go. B sighed internally.

"We'll hang out later," he grumbled in reluctance, "but for now, I've got stuff to do. Now, go on, get out of here."

"Alright," she smiled slightly before skipping out the room. When he was sure she was gone, B let out a loud sigh, taking his hands and the dust rag that he had shoved in there out of his pockets. He curled his lip in slight disgust, making a note to change as soon as humanly possible. He faced the bookshelf once more and began cleaning again. A few seconds later, Roger strolled into the room, the smug satisfaction of seeing Backup dusting practically rolling off of him in waves.

"Backup, have you seen Wily? Her tutor just informed me that she was released, and I have a job for her to do," the balding man drawled stuffily. B grit his teeth and scrubbed harder.

"No," he replied blankly. He should've just let the brat stay and get caught.

 _Stupid conscience._

"No matter. I'll find her eventually. Oh, and when you've finished with that, I've got more for you to do..."

 _Stupid old man._

"And then, when that's done..."

 _Stupid_ _ **brat**_ _._

* * *

Wily poked her head into the corridor, looking left and then right. She relaxed and allowed a grin to spread across her face, when she realized Quillish was nowhere to be seen. She tip-toed closer to the door that she had worked so hard to find. She bit her lip to keep from giggling, as her hand crept up to the door knob. Then, in a flurry of movement, she threw the door open.

"L!" she squealed loudly, laughing at the wide-eyed expression on his face. And then, much more calmly, "Come play with me."

L's initial surprise wore away, and he stared at her through half-lidded eyes.

"No," he answered simply before turning back to the looming computer screen. Wily's shoulders fell once more.

"Why not?" she whined. L gave her a cursory glance.

"I don't want to," he replied blankly, causing Wily to pout.

"But _why_?"

"There is much work that I should be-"

"Whyyyyy?"

L fixed her with a flat gaze. Wily grinned internally. She'd picked up that being interrupted was a pet peeve of his in their second meeting; something she fully intended to use to her advantage.

"If you'll _recall_ , I do have a job to-"

" _L_ ," she gave an overdramatic sigh, not missing the way his jaw clenched ever-so-slightly. "It's time to stop being a hermit, and come face the outside world."

"Actually, originally, hermits secluded themselves for religious-"

"Oh, my god, _L_!" she cried in exasperation.

"…"

"…"

"Purposes," he finished, unfazed by her frustration. Wily gave him a half-hearted glare. When L seemed unaffected, she switched tactics.

"C'mon, please?" she whined, shuffling closer to him.

"Afraid the answer is still no," L mumbled around his thumb as he eyed her warily.

" _Pleaseee_?" she begged.

"Wily-"

"L," she was practically nose-to-nose with him, causing him lean away uncomfortably, while she gave him her best puppy dog stare, "please come outside with me.."

L mentally winced. How was this girl so persistent?

"Aren't you afraid that I'll get you in trouble again?" he asked carefully, changing his angle. Wily blinked.

"Huh?" she tilted her head in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Every encounter we have had has lead to you being punished," L pointed out listlessly. When Wily really thought about it, he wasn't _wrong_..he just wasn't entirely right either.

"Well, yeah, but it's not your fault," she told him, her brow furrowing.

"That's not entirely true," L drawled casually. Wily hesitated.

"What are you saying?.."

"I'm _saying_ that I intentionally lured you away from your.."invisible prison", so that you would get caught and be punished for it," he confessed, his eyes rolling up to the ceiling.

"Why?" she demanded, looking affronted.

"Mmm..two reasons, actually. The first, to see if you would fall for it, and the second, to gauge your reaction upon finding out about my betrayal," his voice was thoughtful as he gazed at her from the corner of his eye. He watched as her bottom lip began to tremble, her head lowering so that her eyes were shadowed by her bangs. When her shoulders started to shake, L hesitated in his observation. Had he finally pushed her too far? Was she-

Wily threw her head back and laughed, causing L to stare at her in bewilderment. This wasn't a typical reaction. Why was she _laughing_?

"The fact that you think that I need _you_ to get in trouble is the most adorably hilarious thing that I've ever heard!" she howled through her giggles. " _First of all_ ," she wiped an imaginary tear away, "I knew exactly what going with you would mean. I _chose_ to get in trouble. You didn't "lure me" anywhere. And, just so you know, that sounds really creepy," she informed him through her chuckles. "And even if I _didn't_ know, do you have any _idea_ who I'm friends with? Backup gets me into trouble more than _you_ ever could!"

"..I see," L mumbled with a raised eyebrow. Wily snorted.

" _Lure me away_ ," she snickered to herself. L hid his befuddlement to save face.

"So..you're not angry?" L squinted at her in suspicion.

"No, L, I'm not mad," she chuckled lightly.

"Hmm..you _say_ you bare no ill will, and if you're acting, you're doing a remarkable job, but how am I to know whether or not you speak the truth, and that you won't retaliate?" he wondered aloud.

"Guess you'll just have to wait and see," Wily wiggled her eyebrows playfully. "Now, are you going to come outside, or do I have to drag you out?"

"..Do you truly think that I am creepy?" L tried distracting her again.

" _L_!" she demanded with no shortage of exasperation. L expelled a breath out of his nose in irritation.

"Fine, have it your way then," he stood up swiftly to track down his worn-out sneakers, making Wily jump. "It's a nice day for an outing anyway."

"That's more like it! C'mon!" Wily grinned, snatching his hand and tugging him along. She snorted to herself when he cringed from the contact.

 _What's the matter, L? Don't like it when someone gets all up in_ your _space?_

L stumbled as he tried to match her stride. For someone with legs so small, she was surprisingly agile.

"Must you go so fast?" L grunted under his breath.

"What's wrong?" she teased. "The amazing _Lost One_ can't keep up?"

L scoffed internally and fastened his pace until he passed her, losing her grip on his hand. Wily smirked and increased her stride, practically dancing around him. L frowned and darted back ahead of her, unaware of how determined he'd become to win their unofficial race. Wily grinned to herself. Maybe L wasn't a _total_ bore.

* * *

Alternate strolled into the rec room leisurely, his physics lesson long banished from the back of his mind. He raised an eyebrow when he noticed Backup half-hanging out from underneath one of the tables. A approached the table cautiously like one would a scared animal; half-expecting to be mauled. He slowly peeked under the table.

"Hey, buddy," A chuckled slightly, "what uh..what'cha doin'?"

B stared back at him flatly, his arms raised above his head, and pink gloved hands holding a blunt butter knife to the underside of the table, with ancient looking wads of chewed up bubblegum sprinkled around the area.

"I needed some glue, but I couldn't find any, so I thought, "Hey, how 'bout all that used bubblegum on the bottom of the table?"," B deadpanned before scowling. "The hell does it _look_ like I'm doing?!"

"You don't have to be rude," A pouted slightly.

"Trust me, that was the non-rudest way I could've responded," B snorted. A smirked at his friend.

"Yeah, yeah. Have you seen Wily yet?"

"Yeah," B grunted distractedly as he went about his task, "but I sent her away."

"Why would you do that?" A's brow furrowed. Silence. B's eyes burned a hole through the bottom of the table. Realization dawned on A's features.

"Aww," he cooed with a grin, "That's so _sweet_."

"Shut the hell up, A," B growled, his usually pale cheeks burning against his will, "I just didn't want her around!"

"Whatever you say, you secret guardian angel, you," A snickered.

"A, I swear to god, I will make you _eat_ this gum," B threatened in a hiss.

"Alright, alright," A chuckled, waving him off, "I'm going to go get her, then we'll help you. It isn't fair to make you clean by yourself."

" _Tch_. Whatever," B huffed, watching him head for the door. Only when he was gone did Backup allow the barest of smiles to twitch at his lips. "Idiots."

A small group of children ran by the table, giggling amongst themselves, and paying no mind when of them bumped into the table. B's hand shifted angles from the sudden disturbance, and a piece of chewed gum dropped down to bounce off his forehead, and into his hair. B gaped up at the table. A shudder worked its way through his body, and he shot out from underneath his designated workspace. The trio stopped to stare at him with wide eyes, noting his murderous expression with obvious fear.

" _I'm going to kill you!_ " he roared, charging towards them. Their shrieks of terror echoed around the mansion as they ran away, B hot on their heels. Of course, B wasn't sure what damage could be done with a butter knife, but he was damn sure about to find out.

* * *

Wily gawked at L's back in what could only be described as total disbelief and indignation, as his hand reached out for the doorknob. She couldn't believe it. The bastard _tripped_ her! His smug smirk spoke volumes as he turned to her with an innocent gaze.

"Aren't you coming?"

Wily's eye twitched, while her face burned in anger. She grit her teeth together, and popped up as if nothing had happened.

"You bet!" she forced a strained grin. She joined him descending the marble stairs. When they reached the bottom, L glanced around unsurely.

"What now?"

Huh. Wily chewed on her lip. She hadn't really thought that far ahead. Her face lit up when inspiration struck her.

"Tag!" she declared, whacking L on the shoulder and darting away a few feet. "You're it!"

"What was that for?" L demanded in an offended tone, inspecting the spot where she'd thumped him. Wily snorted.

"You're it."

"I'm..what?" L asked perplexedly.

"You're _it_!"

"I'm _what_?"

Wily stared. Did he seriously not know how to play tag?

"I tagged you, so now you're it. To not be it, you have to tag me back," she explained. "Get it?"

"Why would I do that?"

"Because it's _fun_ , L, geez," she grinned. "Now, are you going to tag me, or what?"

L seemed to deliberate the situation for a moment, before taking a few steps towards her, and warily raising his hand. In response, Wily bounced back a few more feet excitedly. L's brow furrowed. He crept closer, and again, Wily skirted out of his reach.

"How can I "tag" you, if you won't remain still?" he asked in annoyance.

"That's the _point_ , L!" she giggled. "You have to chase me, if you want to win that is."

"Chase you?" he repeated in bewilderment.

"Yep. Then, when I'm it, I'll have to chase and tag you."

"This seems very pointless," L pointed out. "What's the deciding factor for victory?"

"It's..not really a game you win..You just kinda..keep going, until you both give up," she admitted, scratching her cheek sheepishly.

"Why would I play something that I cannot win?" he wondered blankly.

"Okay," she frowned, "how 'bout this? We'll both be it. First person to get tagged three times is the loser. And, once you have been tagged or tag someone, both players have to wait thirty seconds before being allowed to tag the other again."

"Very well then," L agreed.

"Want me to start again?"

"No, there's no need," L replied confidently, "now that I understand the rules and regulations, I know how to achieve victory. And you can keep your current point. You'll need it."

Wily quirked an incredulous eyebrow.

 _Tough talk, coming from someone who didn't even know the game._

"Oh, and Wily?"

"Hm?" she hummed in acknowledgement. And, just like that, L was suddenly in front of her, making Wily flinch back. She felt him give a quick poke to her shoulder, and then he was back where he was.

"Tag," he informed her casually. "I believe that's 1-1."

 _What. The. Fuck?_

"H-hey! That's cheating!" she cried, darting towards him, but L was already on the move. Her face burned in frustration.

" _L!_ "

* * *

Alternate stared out of the window, a slight frown marring his usually bright and cheerful features. He watched with wary eyes as Wily chased after a boy that vaguely resembled his best friend. His gaze narrowed when she called out to the boy before giggling. It didn't take a genius of his caliber to figure out who the strange looking boy was. _Lost One_.

A shifted uneasily as her laughter rang loudly against the colored glass, practically taunting him. Wily never laughed like that around him or Backup. What was so special about Lost One? He scowled at his own thoughts. He should be happy that Wily was making new friends, and not relying on him and B. Still..

A turned away from the discomforting scene sharply with a huff, trudging his way back to his raven-haired friend. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his gray hoodie, his shoulders slumping. A scoffed to himself, a bitter smirk tugging at his mouth. He was acting ridiculous, he told himself. He slunk back into the recreational room that B was-wait. He turned his head left, then right. Where was Backup? Alternate crept further into the room with a frown.

 _Don't suppose he's run off to go be besties with Lost One as well, huh?_

A almost snorted at the thought.

 _That'll be the day._

The thought was downright laughable. B in the same room as his so-called "archnemisis". A's chuckle was cut short by a voice from the doorway.

"Ah, there you are! So, did you find our adorable little coyote, or what?" came the disturbingly chipper voice of B. A turned to respond to the jam-loving boy, but stopped short when he caught sight of him.

"What the hell happened to _you_?" A inquired skeptically. B was currently leaning lazily against the doorjamb, holding the butter knife he had been using in his right hand, while playing with the blunt tip with his left hand.

"Oh, you mean this?" B motioned to his _extremely_ disheveled appearance. "Nothing you need to worry about."

A stared at his long-time accomplice incredulously. His usually flat hair stuck up in odd angles, his face was slightly flushed, as if he'd been running, and his shirt was rumpled with splotches of-

"Is that _blood_?" A asked in alarm.

"Hmmm?" B's eyes traveled down to the spots A was gaping at. "Don't be _silly_ , A. It's just jam."

"Right. Jam," A chuckled nervously. Backup took the opportunity to switch topics.

"So, is that a "no" on the Wily front?"

"Uh..yeah. No, I couldn't find her," A answered with a false smile.

"You weren't gone very long," B observed before joking, "did you even look for her?"

A gave a forced chuckle, turning around and letting his smile fade.

"I saw all that I needed to see."

* * *

Quillish watched in awe as the dark-haired boy darted across the lawn and into the trees, the mischievous blonde right behind him. He was amazed, to say the least. How in the _hell_ had Wily managed to get Lost One out of his room; much less outside and _running_? Not to say that the boy never ran, Quillish knew first-hand that the boy was quite fast. He cringed as memories of a virtually rabid seven year old running away from him to avoid bath time popped into his head.

He chuckled lightly as is charge crept out of the foliage, brushing a twig from his hair carelessly and glancing around before spotting something and moving out of Quillish's limited line of sight. It appeared as though he had lost his pig-tailed companion. Quillish felt his eyebrows draw together when Lost One wandered back into his field of vision with..a jump rope? He shook his head wryly. He could only hope that the boy hadn't snatched it while one of the other children had been using it. It was something he had been infamous for doing in the past, Quillish remembered with some amusement.

 _Just what are you up to, Lost One?_

* * *

Wily was panting from exertion as she sprinted through the trees. She was on the offensive, and she had to be careful; the tied 2-2. L had managed to tag her again, before she lost sight of him for a few minutes. And then, just as quickly as he had disappeared, he'd popped up again, almost as if he'd been waiting for her to find him. It was then that she'd managed to gain another point. But, as she weaved in and out of the trees, struggling to catch a glimpse of L, Wily had this nagging sense that he'd _let_ her tag him. Which was ridiculous. Why would L let her catch up with him?..

And then, it hit her. Literally. Just as her eyes widened, realizing her mistake, something at the base of the tree she was running passed was pulled up. Wily let out a cry as she was tripped and thrown to the ground by..a jump rope?

 _You've gotta be fucking kidding me._

"I win," came the casually confident voice of the slouching bastard that stood with one hand in his pocket, while the other poked her on the forehead. Wily gaped up at him in disbelief.

"That's cheating!" she exploded. "You can't use _traps_!"

"You did not say there was a rule against it," he countered, his eyes looking up towards the darkening sky. She was positive he was grinning on the inside, as he avoided her stare. The smug jackass.

"You could've at least given me a heads up!"

"I believe that defeats the purpose of using a _trap_."

"You _suck_."

"That's a bit childish of you, don't you think?"

She _was_ being childish. She _knew_ she was being childish. But instead of admitting that, she crossed her arms with a huff and turned her head to pout. She couldn't believe she'd lost to a guy who, not even an hour and a half ago, didn't even know how to play!

 _Who uses_ traps _in tag?!_

"Here, I'll give you this lollipop to make you feel better, but only if you stop sulking," he offered seriously, taking a red colored sucker out of his pocket. Wily snorted. Throw her to the ground, and then offer her candy. Nice. She glared at the artificially flavored treat before snatching it away.

"Fine," she relented begrudgingly. L gazed up at the sky one more, humming in consideration.

"I believe it's time to make our way back inside; nightfall is approaching."

"Not scared of the dark, are you?" she teased.

"Mm..no, but I don't exactly relish the thought of stumbling into a tree, due to lack of sufficient lighting," he admitted while scratching his head. Wily grinned at the thought.

"Point taken," she snickered, hauling herself up off from the dirt. L trailed along beside her at a languid pace. They were silent for moment, until L perked up.

"I have procured a spot for us to play tennis tomorrow," he announced in a pleased manner.

"Tennis?" she vaguely recalled him mention the sport after eating ice cream.

"Yes," he nodded as they approached the orphanage, "Mr. Wammy will drive us there at exactly 12:30 p.m. I suggest you be ready by then."

Wily was about to give her okay, when she remembered something. Her hands flew up to her cheeks in distress, taking L off guard.

"Oh, L, no! This just won't do!" she gasped. He blinked at her in confusion. "I don't have anything to wear!"

His gaze turned flat. There was that fickle nature he'd talked about.

"I'm sure it'll be-"

"We'll just have to leave earlier," she declared, cutting him off for the hundredth time that day, much to his annoyance.

"For what purpose?" he inquired, biting back a sigh.

"Shopping!" she squealed, making L cringe.

"Shopping?" he repeated warily.

"For tennis outfits, silly!"

"I don't think that's nec-"

"No need to worry, L!" she interrupted once again, before he could tell her _hell no_. "I'll tell Mr. Wammy about the change in plans!"

"There's really no-"

"No point in leaving before ten, I totally agree!"

" _Wily_ -"

"Bye, L! See you in the morning!" she sang, scurrying inside, leaving a befuddled L to wonder _what the hell just happened._

Once out of sight, Wily smirked to herself. Trip _her_ , would he? Wily was a master at passive-aggressive bitchfu. She'd get L back in other, less obvious ways. Plus, she still owed him for "intentionally getting her into trouble". If there was one thing almost every guy hated, it was _shopping_.

* * *

After informing a very amused Quillish about the schedule change, Wily wandered into the cafeteria for dinner. She carried tray full of food to her usual spot, where Alternate and Backup were already seated. As she hopped up into her chair, she noticed the hesitant smile on A's face, and the guarded look in his eyes. She glanced around awkwardly, while B regarded her with a scowl. Had she done something wrong?

"And just where the hell have _you_ been?" B asked in an accusing tone. She blinked. Was _that_ what this was about? A watched her carefully when she spoke up.

"You told me to leave, so I left!" Wily replied incredulously.

"Yeah, I said "leave", not _vanish_ ," he waved his hands for emphasis.

"I did not _vanish_ ," she argued in indignation.

"A said he couldn't find you," B countered. A cringed slightly and evaded her eyes by switching his focus over to his food, shoving some of it into his mouth to avoid speaking. Wily studied him curiously. Why was he acting so freakin' _weird_?

"Why were you looking for me, anyway?" Wily smoothly changed the subject. She really didn't want to listen to B rant and rave about how much he hated her new friend.

"Roger was looking for you. You left us doing chores alone!" B informed her with false anger. A choked on his food and turned his head slowly, giving his best friend a disbelieving stare. B noticed and shifted slightly, keeping a straight face the entire time.

"I'm sorry, you guys. I didn't mean to.."

A's aparetic gaze turned from B to the guilty-faced Wily. His lips formed a thing line, and he sent a pointed look to the boy beside him. Said boy ignored the look. At least until he felt a sharp jab to his ribs. B winced and rubbed his side, scowling at A. Wily watched on in confusion as the two began a mental conversation based entirely on facial cues.

A's eyes darted to Wily and back to B.

 _Stop being an ass, and just tell her it's fine._

B's lips pursed, and he tilted his head.

 _Why should I? It's fun watching her beat herself up._

A's eyes narrowed as he jutted his chin out.

 _If you don't, I'll tell her you were actually being nice when you sent her away._

B's mouth parted ever-so-slightly, while he squinted.

 _You wouldn't._

A quirked an eyebrow, a small smirk playing at his lips.

 _Wanna bet?_

B's lips drew into a hard line, his nostrils flaring.

 _Fine. Traitor._

B coughed and cleared his throat before facing the object of his frustrations.

"It's fine," he told Wily flatly. Wily glaced around unsurely.

"Um..are you sure?" she asked in uncertainty. B didn't just let things go. He was still holding the time he'd had to help her reach for something on the top shelf over her head. B felt the heavy stare of A burning a hole in the side of his face.

"Yeah," he grumbled sulkily, swirling a finger in his jam.

"O..okay?" Wily conceded while squinting. The trio lapsed into an awkward silence, making Wily extremely uncomfortable. She fidgeted restlessly. And there A was giving her that _look_ again.

"A, is something wrong?" she finally broke. A flinched and turned his attention back to absent-mindedly playing with his food.

"No, why?"

"You're being weird," she pointed out bluntly. "And that's really saying something in this place."

"No, I'm not," he denied.

"Yeah, you've been acting off all afternoon," B chimed in. Wily frowned upon hearing this news.

"What's the matter, A?" she asked softly. A seemed to hesitate before giving a reassuring smile.

"Guys, seriously. Nothing's wrong."

B and Wily exchanged a glance. B opened his mouth to argue, when a sharp, strangled intake of air caught his attention. His red eyes flew over to the side and made contact with the source. Wily and A turned with curiosity to stare at the interruption-and cringed at the sight. An older boy was frozen in his tracks beside their table, sporting a busted lip and several angry-looking bruises along the sides of his face. Wily felt her brow furrow. Why did he look so terrified of them? _No_ , she realized. Not them. _B_.

B, whose lips were forming a slow, deliberate grin, the edges of his mouth tinted red with jam. Wily shuddered. It was moments like these she was glad that they were friends, and not enemies. The older boy let out what could only be described as a squeal, dropping his tray and scurrying away, like a frightened mouse. Wily and A turned back around to stare at their friend incredulously.

"What the _hell_ was that?" A demanded.

"No idea," B smirked, going back to stirring his jam languidly with his index finger. As Wily observed B suspiciously, she noticed something a bit..off.

"B," she chuckled weakly, "is..is that.. _blood_ on your shirt?"

"For the last time, you guys," he sighed dramatically, though the smirk never left his face, "it's just _jam_."

* * *

"Is this _really_ necessary?"

Five minutes after ten in the morning, and Wily found herself buckled up in the backseat of a sleek black Rolls Royce (the years would change, but Quillish's taste in vehicles would forever remain the same), with a _very_ annoyed L by her side. After discussing their aliases, with Wily going for a simple change with "Riley", and L opting for much more sophisticated "Leopold" (with Wily automatically nicknaming it "Lee-Lee"), they were off.

L was perched in his usual fashion, and Wily couldn't help but feel a bit unnerved. Why wasn't he wearing a seatbelt? Didn't he know what would happen if they crashed with his sitting like that? Visions of paramedics scraping him off the seat like a crushed frog played out in her mind, making her shudder. And how the _hell_ was he keeping his balance in a moving car that was going over potholes?!

"I just feel that this is entirely more trouble than is needed," he complained for the thousandth time in the space of ten minutes.

"Lost One," Quillish chided from the front seat, "you asked Miss Wily to accompany you for a match of tennis, it's only fair that you accompany her in return for preparations of your activity."

Wily shot L a smug smirk, as she folded her arms across her chest and leaned back against the seat to watch him pout in all his broody glory. L, in turn, responded by abruptly facing the window. L knew when he was being baited and simply chose to ignore her, rather than giving her the satisfaction of watching him stew. Wily had other plans.

"L," she called sweetly, tugging on his sleeve with the most adorable smile she could muster, "let's play a car game."

"No," was his automatic flat response.

"Oh," her voice wobbled, head turning down with a heart-broken expression, "okay."

L realized all too late what she was up to.

" _Lost One_ ," Quillish, who had watched the entire scene in the rearview mirror, scolded, "it's very rude to dismiss a lady."

L stared in slight disbelief. _Lady?_

"Fine," he conceded shortly before turning back to the face of evil incarnite. Quillish gave a pleased smile and flicked on the radio. L's gaze was unamused as he observed the Cheshire grin on Wily's face.

"You hear that?" she whispered in a self-satisfied manner. "He thinks I'm a lady."

"Yes," L drawled, "clearly he doesn't know you very well."

Wily's smirk dropped for a moment, before returning full-force. L's eyes narrowed. What was the little hellion planning now? Wily inhaled through her mouth before declaring loudly:

"I spy, with my little eye..."

 _Damn it all._

It was going to be a _long_ ride.

* * *

After several agonizing rounds of _I spy_ (Wily had made sure to choose only the easiest of objects, something that only irked L even more), they arrived at the sporting clothes store. Wily let out an enthusiastic squeal of delight as they entered the store, causing Quillish to chuckle and L to shrink into a cringe.

 _Who in their right mind gets excited over_ clothing _?_

L bit back another sigh.

"Pick anything you'd like, Miss Riley," Quillish told her kindly. L watched her blankly as her face lit up, and she bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. And then, she was gone; nothing but a frenzied blur as she flew from rack to rack, throwing tennis skirts and tops over her arm. L's brow furrowed in skepticism. Surely, she wasn't planning on trying on _all_ of those clothes..was she?

Quillish nearly laughed out loud at L's pained expression.

"Come along now," Quillish all but snickered, "best not to keep her waiting."

L got the sinking feeling that it was _he_ who would be kept waiting.

* * *

L stared hard at the ceiling, his mouth agape in a silent scream for help.

"Should I get blue, or purple?"

Maybe he should've given more thought to this "friendship" thing.

"Or maybe green?"

It had seemed okay at the time-

"Oh! Look at the pink one!"

But he was really beginning to regret it. It had already been an hour, and if L thought that the car ride had been bad, this was downright _torture_.

"What about _shoes_?"

He knew he wasn't that great of a person-a pretty terrible one, actually-but what had he done to deserve _this_?

"They have hats too!"

His eyes narrowed in realization, and his head snapped over to the girl traipsing about the store with retail employees fawning over her.

 _Perhaps the question is not a "what" at all. More like a "who"._

He almost chuckled. Not for the first time, she'd managed to surprise him. He certainly hadn't expected her revenge to be in the form of something so.. _mundane_. It was clever, he'd give her that. He pressed his thumb against his bottom lip to surpress his smirk. Clever indeed, but he wouldn't be taken over so easily.

Wily flounced out of the dressing room, sporting a matching blue and white skirt and top, a happy smile gracing her features.

"What'cha think?" she asked, giving a twirl to showcase her outfit.

"You look wonderful, Miss Riley," Quillish assured her.

"Yes," L drawled, popping out from behind his caretaker, with his hands behind his back, "although, it would appear that you are missing something."

Wily resisted the urge to squint at him. He'd looked as if he was in a coma not even five minutes ago. Why the sudden change?

Never one to shy away from a challenge, Wily tilted her head cutely and asked, "What is it, Lee-Lee?"

L almost twitched from the usage of that horrible name, but refrained. Time to pull out his trump card. L's face remained perfectly blank as he held out-

 _Good_ god _, what the_ hell _is that_ monstrosity _?_

Wily stared, aghast at the bright, fluorescent orange hat he held in his hands. She glanced up at him in indignation. Did he expect her to _wear_ that?

"..Do you not like it?" L pondered, lacing his voice with uncertainty. This time, Wily did narrow her eyes at him. L wasn't uncertain of anything. She heard the clearing of the throat, and her wandered to the side to see Quillish giving her a rather pointed stare. Her mouth nearly dropped open. She'd been played. _Son of a_ bitch.

"Of course I like it, silly!" she quickly recovered, pasting on a strained smile. "How could I not? It's just so.. _orange_."

"Yes," L's lips finally twitched upwards to reveal his smugness, "all the better to spot you with. I'd hate for us to lose you in a crowd, since you are rather small."

Her eye twitched.

"Did you just call me _short_?" she demanded. To L's credit, he pulled off the surprised look quite well.

"No, not at all. I was simply expressing my-"

"'Cause it sounded an _awful_ lot like you just called me short," she interrupted flatly.

"Now, Miss Riley," Quillish chimed in calmly, "I'm sure he didn't mean it like that."

Wily and L seemed to size each other up for a long moment; Wily all but pouting, while L's eyes danced in amusement.

 _What will you do now, I wonder?_

Wily squared her shoulders at his silent inquiry.

"Right," she forced another smile, "I'm sorry."

"No need for apologies," L's eyes roamed up to the ceiling, the picture of innocence. Wily ground her teeth together, as she all but stomped back to the dressing room. She paused.

"Oh, and L?"

"Yes?"

"Be a dear, and go find a pair of shoes to match the hat."

 _This isn't over._

"Of course."

 _I'd expect nothing less._

* * *

A tense silence hung in the air as Quillish tried to discern what exactly had transpired between the two children. They hadn't fought the entire time, he'd made sure of it. So, why were they acting like this?

Wily could practically _feel_ the smugness rolling off of L in waved. She stared out the window, pouting and trying to think of ways she could piss him off. She glanced down at her outfit and cringed. She looked like the result of a one-night stand between Dory and Nemo's dad. She huffed and crossed her arms, leaning back against the leather seat. After a few moments, Wily perked up when the tennis courts came into view. Quillish pulled up alongside the entrance, pausing the car and getting out. He opened L's door first, then walked over to Wily's.

"Miss Riley, would you like for me to hold on to your scarf for you?" the older man asked kindly. Wily paused, glancing down at her scarf in hesitation. She fingered the fabric nervously.

"Come now, you wouldn't want it to trip you while playing, would you?"

She hadn't thought of that. Still, she eyed her caretaker warily.

"I'll keep it safe," Quillish assured her, "I promise."

Wily sighed, unwinding her large scarf from around her neck and watched carefully as Quillish folded it up with precision, placing it neatly in his inside coat pocket. L observed her with fascination. Her lemon blonde hair was pulled back neatly into a ponytail, instead of her usual pigtails, and for the first time, he saw her long, pale neck, where a single freckle rested on the side. He found it odd how two small details could make such a drastic difference. It was.. _weird,_ seeing her out of the norm.

"Here you are," Quillish broke L's train of thought as he produced two tennis rackets, and a plastic cylinder of tennis balls. Wily took her racket, as well as the balls, figuring that L sure as hell wouldn't carry them. Making sure the pair had everything they would need, Quillish began to shuffle back to the driver's seat.

"I'll be along shortly," he informed them, "I must find parking. You two go on ahead, and grab a court."

With that, the duo was left alone, that tense atmosphere returning as they gave one another the side-eye. L decided to break the silence like he usually did. With a sassy remark.

"I think the orange color compliments your hair," he drawled innocently.

"Piss off," she snapped, whipping around and stomping passed the entrance. L grinned internally.

"Such hostility," he noted, not struggling in the least bit to keep up with her, which only pissed her off even more.

"That was a dirty trick," she accused with a scowl.

"I'm not sure I know what you mean."

"You know damn well what I mean."

"A bit paranoid as well," he commented.

"I will bash you over the head with this tennis racket, I swear to god," she warned.

"Aggressive too," he mumbled. She lifted the racket threateningly. "Alright, alright. Though, it was really no different from that little stunt you pulled in the car. And don't think I didn't see through your little shopping excursion."

"Say what you want about me and my mind games," she waved a finger at him in indignation, "but I would _never_ make you wear _this_."

L nearly snorted. Always so dramatic.

"I honestly don't see why you're so angry," he pointed out carelessly, "it suits you much better than that gaudy red scarf."

Wily froze in her tracks. L paused only to glance back at her in curiosity. Any lesser boy would have wilted under that harsh, icy glare. L simply stared.

"Take it back," she demanded. He blinked. All that had transpired today, and she was mad over _that_?"

"It's just a scarf," he reminded her blankly.

"No, it's not!" she seethed, clenching the racket tightly in her grip.

"Yes, it is," he said calmly, "and wearing it all the time won't bring back whoever gave it to you."

L barely had time to register her shocked expression before it darkened. Wily's shoulders trembled under the weight of her rage.

"At least now I know why you don't have any friends," she hissed, bumping her shoulder roughly against his when she quickly brushed passed him. L gazed after her in confusion. Well. That stung more than it should've. He couldn't quite understand why she was so furious; he'd merely stated a fact. It was obvious by the way she clung to the scarf as her security blanket that someone important had given it to her, and that someone was clearly _gone_. L hesitated for a brief moment before following after her.

"It was not my intention to offend," he tried.

"Don't worry about it," came her short reply. L gave an inward wince. She wouldn't even look at him. Silence settled over them yet again, and for the first time, L found it unbearable.

"So," he prodded, shoving his free hand into his pocket to avoid fidgeting, "all is forgiven?"

"Yep," she answered tersely. His brow furrowed. It certainly didn't _seem_ like she had forgiven him. He nearly flinched when she whirled on him unexpectedly, bright smile in place. He'd never admit it, but the smile unsettled him greatly as he eyed her with caution, ready for her to make good on that threat with the tennis racket.

"Since you've never played tennis before, why don't I serve first?" she suggested sunnily. L's eyes shifted from side to side. Was this some play to get him to lower his guard so that she could get the jump on him? An image of Wily standing over his body with a bloody tennis racket and self-satisfied smirk popped into his head. She'd probably deliver some cheesy pun as well.

 _"You just got served, bitch."_

L stifled his chuckle. His only regret would be that he wouldn't be able to tell her how horrible her joke was.

"That sounds agreeable," he conceded, throwing wary glances to her hand gripping the racket. She simply gave him a close-eyed smile before they continued on their way. They strolled up to the only empty court, beside another pair of children who were already hitting a ball back and forth. Wily cast him a curious glance.

"Do you know how to hold the racket?" she wondered.

"Yes, I've done quite a bit of research, thank you," L waved her off. Wily nodded, taking one of the balls from its packaging. She took her preferred side of the court, while L shuffled over to the other. Wily slid into her the serving stance, lining up behind the baseline with her left leg planted firmly, foot slightly at an angle. She crouched a little to bounce the ball up and down a few times. Her gaze found his, and once again he was put off by the glint that seemed to dance in them. L readied himself, bending his knees slightly. Wily observed his stance with a hidden grin.

 _My, my, seems like someone didn't do as much research as he thought._

"Any particular side you'd like to choose to start us off on?" she prodded. L paused unsurely.

"Left," he recovered quickly, appearing confident in himself. Wily clicked her tongue.

"Ready?" she asked sweetly. L raised his own racket about a foot in front of his chest, tilting it marginally towards the net. He gave a firm nod of affirmation. That spark flashed in her eyes, as her lips curled into a wicked smirk. By the time L realized he'd made horrible mistake, the ball was already sailing towards him. His usually uninterested eyes widened in alarm while he tried to bring his racket up in time. All too soon, the object used to carry out Wily's wrath hit him square in the forehead. The fuzzy ball collided into him with such force, it knocked his head back, sending him flat on his ass. L grunted, cupping his forehead gingerly.

"Whoops!" came Wily's girlish giggle from across the court where she stood, swinging her racket side to side with one hand. "Sorry! The ball got away from me."

L heard the boys in the court beside them snickering under their breath. His eyes narrowed.

 _So_ , he glared, _that's how this is going to be._

"That's quite alright," L assured her in a monotonous tone, getting to his feet, "though, perhaps I should try my hand at serving instead."

Wily gazed at him through half-lidded eyes, a smirk still dominating her features.

"By all means."

L retrieved the ball with the finesse of a warrior going into battle, fully prepared to give back just as good as he got in return. Any adult that would happen to glance in their direction would see nothing more than two friends, playing a nice, friendly game of tennis, but L knew the truth. This was nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt at putting L in his place. L eyed her from beyond the net, Wily's stare just as intense as she balanced on her toes. He bounced the ball once, twice, and then made his move.

Wily's eyes barely registered the fuzzy green object speeding her way. Damn. She'd forgotten how _fast_ he was. _Not that it matters. I'm faster_ , she thought confidently. Shifting her grip, she darted forward, powering through with her forehand to knock the ball back on to the other side of the net. L growled under his breath, rushing to the right to block it. He nearly hissed in frustration when he came up short, the ball spiraling passed him. As if to add to his failure, the ball bounced off the chain link fence behind him, and nailed him sharply in the back. He scowled accusingly at the ball, like it was alive and purposely sabotaging his game. What was he doing _wrong_?

Wily, on the other hand, was the picture of smug confidence, her lips twitching up snarkily at the corners. She knew _exactly_ why hadn't made it to the ball in time, but she'd be _damned_ if she was going to tell him.

"I believe that's Love-15," she pointed out casually like she was discussing the weather, twisting her ponytail around her finger.

"Yes," L agreed in slight annoyance, "it would appear so."

" _Such hostility_ ," she threw his words back at him. L's grip on his racket tightened as he retrieved the ball.

"And here I thought you weren't angry," he called out mockingly.

"Well, well," Wily rolled her eyes, "you _are_ a detective."

L's eyes widened and he shot an alarmed glance in their general area. The boys beside them didn't _look_ like they were listening, but that didn't mean much when identity was on the line.

"Are you _quite_ finished behaving so recklessly?" he asked in slight exasperation. Wily's response was to stick her tongue out at him. He grit his teeth, eyes going flat.

"Very well then. It's not as if you agreed to help me learn or anything," he pointed out nonchalantly.

"You're just mad that you're not winning right now," Wily snorted, "Mr. I-did-my-research."

Well. She had him there.

"It's only the second point," he reminded her, slight indignation lacing his tone.

"Doesn't matter," she smirked condescendingly, "you're not gonna win. Not with _that_ form."

His nostrils flared. What was wrong with his form? Frustration began to build in the pit of his stomach, threatening to boil over. What _was_ it about her that always got him so riled up? His gray orbs drilled holes into her blue ones that seemed to be laughing at him.

"You gonna serve, or not?" she taunted. His eyes narrowed. Oh, he was going to serve, alright. He bounced the ball only once this time, before tossing it up almost lazily. Like lightning, L hit the ball overhead, watching it as it launched across the court, over the net, and right at his intended target.

Wily's left eye.

* * *

 **...I'm not even going to lie. B was my favorite character to write in this chapter. I regret nothing. Ahem. Reviews, follows and favs always welcome, and for those of you who have, thank you!**

 **WastingTime999: A's definitely got a place in my heart as one of my favorite characters to write! Sorry for the long wait, and thank you for your review! Hope you enjoy the update!**

 **FireFox25: THE WAIT IS OVER! XD Sort of. I'll wrap up the tennis part in the next chapter, you know I love a good cliffy. Sorry for taking so long, and thank you for your review! Hope you liked the new chapter!**

 **RavenclaWriteRules: XD Hi, writing buddy! First, I actually haven't written anything in well.. _years_ , so thanks for giving me a confidence boost in mentioning my seeming experienced. As for L and his germaphobia, in the manga when it shows L as a child when he first got to Wammy's, he's holding things in that "ew" way (which I always guessed was from his germaphobia), but I do plan on taking that suggestion and using it on B, so thank you for that as well! Speaking of B, you better believe that adorable little psycho will never have a hyper day in this fanfic. He will be an asshole however, and he will get scarier with time. XD And omg that jam comment. No, the only time we'll see him eating jam is in the cafeteria, where it's actually time to eat (although I suppose eating only jam would keep someone rather hungry. Maybe that's why people use it like that so much?). My fiance is doing very well now, he's gone back to work and everything, thank you for asking! My French speaking skills are pretty faded(although I can usually understand it if I'm reading it), due to being out of school and having no one to speak French with, since here they usually press you to learn Spanish instead of French, so I'm probably not the best person to speak French with, but I'd be more than happy to try! Aside from Le Petite Prince and a few poems, we never really read anything else (our French department was seriously lacking from budget cuts), but I always wanted to read The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo and Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. Thanks for your awesome reviews! **

**KimKat95: XD who doesn't love picking on Roger? You're right, he definitely got (and still is getting) his revenge on Wily! A and B are always so much fun for me to write, so I'm glad you enjoy reading their scenes! L and Wily are definitely gonna have some hard times (*insert evil laughter here*), but their friendship is always going to be there! XD and yes, $60. My friend actually made bank working for that company, before he decided to go be a roadie, so it must not be too bad (I just can't stand the thought of sitting there awkwardly for an hour in uncomfortable silence while someone hugs me. Talk about stranger danger, yeesh). Thanks for your review, and hope you enjoy the update!**

 **Sakuya Miyamoto: XD I'm glad you like my story, and I enjoy your enthusiasm! Sorry again for being an awkward turtle (I'm actually very bad at talking with people)! Thanks for your review, and I hope you enjoy the new chapter as well!**

 **Lunacat247: IT'S HEREEE~ XD sorry to make you worry! Like I said before, I'm definitely not abandoning the story. I hope this chapter was worth the wait! As always, thank you for your review and kind words!**


	12. This is NOT the end?

His steps were quick and deliberate, echoing throughout the streets like the final word on a subject. His shoulders were hunched slightly inward as he stalked forward, boots clinking with each stride. His hands were jammed in the red, knee-length coat he favored, fingering the cool steel of his semiautomatic pistol stashed in his waistline from time to time. His expression was set in a determined scowl, his mind absolutely resolute on the matter at hand.

Mello was _pissed_.

It had taken months of searching, but they had finally found her. Most people had written her off, or thought her dead. Mello knew better. Her name was spoken in hushed whispers, nothing more than a rumor anymore. Only her true followers held onto the hope that she would return.

"This is a bad idea, man," his usual goggle-clad companion insisted.

"Shut up, Matt," Mello snapped. "If it weren't for her, I'd already have an in! We're getting answers. _Tonight_."

"What if she's busy?" Matt tried again. "What if we make her mad? Or worse.."

Matt's eyes widened in horror.

" _What if she writes us out?_ "

"She wouldn't do that," Mello scoffed, though a glimmer of uncertainty weighed in his mind.

"I've seen it done, man! It happens!"

"She'd lose half of her people if she did that," Mello rationalized. He stopped short, his eyes settling on the plain brown door with a dent near the bottom. "This is it."

"Should we knock?" Matt contemplated unsurely.

"Sure. I'll do it," Mello patted his friend on the shoulder. He took a quick step foward..and kicked the door in without a second thought. He could hear the distinct sound of dogs barking viciously, but none rushed out to attack them. _Must be put up in a separate room_ , he thought to himself. Matt stepped up to stand beside him.

"Well, I'm sure that got her attention," he deadpanned.

"Come on," Mello nodded toward the entrance, drawing his gun and going in. The dimly lit apartment gave off an eerie vibe, shadows dancing across the walls to form intimidating shapes. Somewhere in the back room, the unmistakable theme from _Harry Potter_ played, the notes from the piano sending chills down their spines.

"Matt, get the lights," Mello ordered. Matt obliged, flicking the switch. Nothing happened.

"The hell?" Matt mumbled, flipping the switch up and down repeatedly. Mello stared at him with an unimpressed gaze.

"You have to turn the other one on first, dumbass."

"I knew that," Matt grinned, turning both switches on. "Honestly, I don't see what the big deal-"

Matt stopped to take in the room.

" _Christ_ ," he whispered.

"It's worse than we thought," Mello stated grimly, glaring down at the small replica of Grandmother Willow from _Pocahontas_ with a judgemental stare.

"We should just go," Matt shifted uncomfortably, eyeing the rest of homemade replicas in the room. "This place is really creeping me out, dude."

"No, we've come this far. We're not stopping now," Mello advanced deeper into unknown territory, completely on high alert. The two boys stood uncertainly in the hallway.

"This is getting out of hand," Matt mumbled, cringing at the direction signs from _Alice in Wonderland_. Mello opened his mouth to respond when a door swung open, causing the pair to jump and whirl to face to the newcomer.

"I don't know who the hell you are," a voice called, "but if you break any of that shit, I swear to god, I will fuck you up! I'm all about that life!"

"' _About that life_ '?" Matt whispered in amusement. A young woman stepped out of the room, bat raised in what was supposed to be a threatening manner. The duo both raised skeptical eyebrows at her. While tall and intimidating in size, she clearly lacked any sort of training. They glanced at her clothes. Or social life. Her messy copper curls were piled on top of her head in a sloppy bun, and she wore Eeyore pajama bottoms with a graphic T-shirt displaying her love for Deadpool. The bags under her eyes rivalled those of their mentor, and the way she aggressively chewed on her bottom lip spoke volumes of the anxiety she held. There were random splotches of paint and super glue covering her hands and face, causing Mello to turn his lip up in disgust.

"Wow," Mello uttered, completely underwhelmed. The woman's eye twitched.

"It's her," Matt breathed in awe, "it's _The Author_!"

"Holy shit," she blinked. Her eyes glanced around nervously. "Y-you guys really shouldn't be here..If she sees you-"

"Taylor Weaver," Mello spoke darkly, drawing his gun and pointing it at her head, "AKA CainToYourAbel. You've got a lot of explaining to do."

Taylor's eyes grew wide as she stared down the barrel. Her bottom lip trembled.

"Oh, thank god," she laughed desperately, "you've come to kill me."

"Wait. What?" Mello drew back, surprised at her actions.

"Do it. Put me out of my misery," she begged. Mello and Matt exchanged disturbed glances.

"What-"

" _TAYYYYYLORRRRRR_!"

The apartment shook, vibrations from the roar rattling small objects around.

"The hell was that?" Matt hissed. Another door opened, and out walked a tall teenager. He easily towered over the trio in the hall. His brown eyes stared blankly at his sister, completely ignoring the two strangers in the house.

"She's coming," he told her uselessly, lips twitching at the panicked expression on Taylor's face. And then the fucker turned to walk out of the apartment, going back to his comfy college dorm to pretend to care from afar and leaving the young writer on her own to face the oncoming shit storm.

"….Dude," Matt glanced at the blonde, silently begging for them to nope the hell out of there.

"I know I've been gone for a long time, but I need your help," she beseeched them with pleading eyes.

"Hell no," Mello scoffed. "Matt, let's go, we didn't sign up for this."

"Wait!" Taylor cried. "She's coming, and I haven't even finished with the Star Wars centerpiece!"

"….What."

"I love Star Wars!" Matt grinned. "Why didn't you say something before!"

" _ **TAYYYYYYYYLORRRRRRRRRR**_!"

The apartment shook again.

"This is madness!" Mello shouted, gripping onto the doorframe for support.

Taylor let out an unhinged giggle, her bangs covering her eyes.

"Madness?" she repeated. "This isn't madness…"

Matt and Mello slowly backed away, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of their stomachs when she looked back up and grinned.

" _This is wedding planning._ "

* * *

 **Hello, my faithful readers. I know, I know, I've been away for quite awhile. Many of you have expressed concern about me abandoning my story, and some of you have even inquired about my health. I'll admit, my tiny black heart gave dull throb. I'm still alive (mainly through sheer force of will and total spite, but alive nonetheless)! And I promise, I'm still going to finish this story!...I've just been so busy! T.T**

 **My sister's wedding has somehow managed to sneak up on us and bitch smack us all in the face...even though we've all known about it for over a year. Did I mention she's having a geek wedding? Yknow, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars. The works. And a Disney themed bridal shower. Awesome, right? Until you take into account that we have to make all this crap. Sooooo muchhhh stuffffff.**

 **I'm going to _try_ to put an actual chapter out by April, which is right before the bridal shower. I'll take this down when I put the new chapter up! Hope you guys got a laugh out of the little scene above! I felt like I owed you guys at least a little something, since I've been gone for so long! I know my writing schedule has been super wonky lately, but I promise it'll get better after the wedding you guys! And a huge thank you to everyone who's still following this story, especially the ones that took time out of their day to ask about me! See you guys soon!**


	13. Chapter 12 (the real one)

***casually steps back into your lives like I haven't been gone for months* Heyyyy...**

 **Okay. I'm not going to lie. I had this chapter written entirely in like early April. I started typing and then.. Weddinggeddon hit. Also my birthday, but mainly the bridal shower and wedding. Lots of you guys asked how it went and..The bridal shower sucked. It was cold. I was exhausted and sleep deprived because I was the one who made almost all of the food while my mother slept _the night before the shower_. And almost everyone bailed. Which left me feeling like a horrible maid of honor and sister. But I bounced back with the bachelorette party, which was awesome. *wiggles eyebrows suggestively* If you catch my drift. **

**And then the wedding. Oh. My. God. It started off hot as balls and sunny and magical and then some freak storm hit, which was just fucking awesome. It was an outdoor wedding. Just in case you wondering. Yes. Throw in my mother showing everyone just how crazy she is by making a scene and yelling at me for asking a friend to double check that we'd gotten everything out of the space's refrigerator, and you've got yourself some great memories for me to tell my future niece/nephew one day. Aside from that, everything was actually really cool. There were Harry Potter wands and light sabers and it was pretty badass. My sister used the story I wrote of how they met in the ceremony, and they used the fox quote from Le Petit Prince. I totally didn't cry.**

 **Anyway, you guys have been ridiculously awesome and so patient, so I wrote this long ass chapter as a thanks, and I'm super happy with the ending. Hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

L, for all his smug remarks and confidence, had several regrets. Trying vegetables. Using Dell instead of Apple. Listening to _The New Kids on the Block_ album. What could he say? He was only human. There would be times that he made mistakes. And _this_. This was definitely one of those times.

"You're the suckiest friend ever!" Wily wailed, clutching her left eye as Quillish, who showed up just in time to witness L nail her in the face with a tennis ball, cradled her tiny frame.

" _Lo-_ Leopold! What were you thinking?" Quillish scolded, barely remembering to use L's cover name. L winced, but remained silent.

"D-did you _see_ what he _did_?" Wily blubbered out between her sobs, clinging to her caretaker like a koala.

"Shhh," he hushed her, patting her back softly in a soothing gesture. L's gaze hardened on her back. Nevermind that she'd intentionally hit _him_ first. L suddenly wasn't feeling as horrible for his actions. His immense frown darkened even more when he caught the disapproving stares of passersby.

"There, there, let me see now," Quillish commanded softly. Wily sniffled pathetically as she slowly lowered her fingers. There was a sharp intake of breath from the older man. When Wily saw the collective cringe between Quillish and _L_ , of all people, she _knew_ the hit was bad. And so, as all small children do when the damage of an injury is revealed, Wily burst into another round of snot-dripping sobs.

Ten minutes later found the trio in a silently tense car ride. Again. Wily was curled onto her side against the door, her back pointedly towards L, while she lightly pressed a bag of ice that a vendor had been kind enough to give her against her bruised eye. L kept throwing inconspicuous glances at her huddled form, the quiet eating away at him. Finally, in a rare show of extending the proverbial olive branch, L spoke.

"How are you feeling?"

Wily wondered what words would best convey the message she was trying to send. It had to be bold, with just enough formality for him to take her seriously.

" _Bite me_ ," she growled.

 _Nailed it._

* * *

Upon arrival back at the orphanage, Quillish ushered Wily to the nurse's station, with L slowly following behind at a reluctant pace.

"Goodness!" was the response Nurse Everette, a middle-aged woman with soft eyes and a kind face, had when Wily entered the office with a pitiful expression. "What happened?"

Wily stared up at the woman with big, watery eyes. L shot her an incredulous glare.

"There was a mishap with a tennis ball," Quillish stepped in to clarify in the midst of his charge's silence. L resisted the urge to stick his tongue out at the nurse when she sent a chastising stare his way.

"Come here, dear," Nurse Everette beckoned her to a stool, "let's have a look at you."

Wily did as she was told, climbing up onto the stool with a bit of difficulty. She winced as the woman gently prodded her darkening eyes, eliciting a small hiss and flinch from the child. The nurse tutted, pulling a small flashlight from her breast pocket and clicking it on. Wily squinted against the harsh light as it was shone into her eye, wishing nothing more than to take that flashlight and smash L in the face with it.

"The pupil is reacting to light, and nothing seems to have been detached or damaged, _luckily_ ," another glance at the boy pretending not to sulk in the back of the room, "but I'd like to keep a check on it. Sometimes a retina will detach slowly instead of instantly."

"I could go blind?" Wily blurted out in horror, surprising the nurse with her voice. L slouched further down in his position, biting the pad of his thumb.

"It's just a precaution, Wily," Quillish placed a reassuring hand on her head.

"He's right, dear," the motherly woman offered an encouraging smile, "everything will be fine. I'll see you back here in a few days time, okay? Until then, lots of ice, and no strenuous activity, just in case, alright?"

"Understood. Come along, Ms. Wily," Quillish held his hand out. Wily gripped two of his fingers with her small hand, hopping down from the stool. The three exited the room quietly. As each second ticked by, L grew increasingly anxious, waiting for the scolding he knew was sure to come.

"Ms. Wily, will you be alright to be on your own? Lost One and I need to have a talk."

Sometimes L really wished that he wasn't right all of the time. Okay, that was totally a lie.

Wily gave a shaky nod, releasing the older gentleman's fingers and pointedly avoiding looking at L as she tottered off. The young boy watched her retreating back with something akin to dread.

"That was completely uncalled for. I thought we had moved passed the aggressive stage. Ms. Wily could have been seriously hurt, Lost One," the fatherly figure started in on his speech.

"I am aware," L admitted almost sheepishly.

"And yet you did it anyway?"

He hated how ridiculously childish it was going to sound but...

"She provoked me first."

"So you assaulted her with a tennis ball?" Quillish asked, completely aghast at the thought.

"She assaulted me first," L defended blankly, loathing how bad this looked.

"So you tell an adult," Quillish chided, "you don't attack back, not like that. What would you have if that ball had blinded her, Lost One?"

L stubbornly remained silent. The older man sighed and bent down to a knee, placing his hand on L's wild tuft of hair.

"I know that having a friend is new to you, Lawliet," he said gently, L's eyes flickering to him curiously, "but if you're going to have one, treat her as such. Not as a competitor or a rival."

"It is a bit.. _different_ than how I imagined it to be," L confessed, glancing away with what was definitely _not_ a pouty face. At that, Quillish chuckled.

"Ms. Wily is a different breed altogether, I'm afraid."

L's lips twitched ever-so-slightly.

"May I ask, what was it that caused Wily to strike out at you in such a way?"

"I believe I insulted her scarf," L replied with furrowed eyebrows.

"Ah," Quillish nodded knowingly, "yes, I suppose that would do it. She's very..sensitive about the topic of her scarf."

"Why?" L wondered, pressing his thumb to his lip, mind already working out possible reasons. Quillish reached into the inside of his jacket to fish out the bright red material he had failed to give Wily in all the panic.

"Why don't you ask her yourself after you apologize?"

"I'd really rather not. Apologize, that is. I ask her insensitive questions daily."

"Lost One.."

"..."

"..."

"Fine," L mumbled, plucking the folded up scarf out of Quillish's hands, "but I'm insisting on benefits."

"Ice cream for dinner it is, then."

"..With extra syrup and sprinkles," L added before tacking on an unsincere, "please."

"..Of course, Lost One."

* * *

"What in the hell are you _wearing_?!"

Wily stood red-faced in front of a cackling Backup, head bowed in embarrassment.

"Wha-" he broke off laughing before he collecting himself once more. "What happened to your _face_?"

"I got hit; what's _your_ excuse?!" Wily snapped. Her ire only made B laugh harder as he held his sides.

"You," he choked out between guffaws, "you look like you got jumped by _Rainbow Brite_ and _lost_!"

Wily's cheeks burned brightly while she covered her face with her hands.

"Leave her alone, B," Alternate grumbled, smacking his best friend on the arm. A rolled his eyes at the sight of B catching his breath. The sandy-haired boy stepped closer to Wily, gently lowering her hands and lifting her face up. A's voice was full of concern, yet held a certain firmness to it when he asked, "Wily, what happened?"

"I fell," was her automatic response. Angry as she was at L, she knew better than to tell A and B what had really transpired. Over time, she'd forgive the lanky boy, and move passed it. Her eyes watched their expressions turn skeptical. They never would.

"Funny, I thought you said you were hit," B drawled pointedly.

"Uh, yeah," Wily scoffed dramatically, "by the _ground_."

The two boys exchanged glances before turning back to her with unimpressed stares.

" _What_?" Wily demanded defensively.

"Is that really the best you could come up with?" B wondered with a disapproving tone, causing her to scowl at him.

"Wily," A spoke softly, "tell us what really happened."

Wily's eyebrow twitched guiltily as she gazed into the open eyes of A, glittering with trust and..were those _sparkles_? Wily shook her head with a cough, thinking she must've been hit harder than she thought. She warred internally over whether or not to tell A the truth, something she found surprisingly easy to do when he was looking at her like a kicked puppy.

"Well," she started unsurely, "it was just-"

"Ah, there you are."

The air left Wily's lungs, causing her to stop short, mouth hanging open and completely frozen as both A and B scrutinized the person behind her who had spoken with dubious faces. She found herself afraid to turn around, because then _he'd be there_ , and this was _not_ how she'd been planning on introducing L.

"Pardon me for interrupting, even though you're supposed to be _resting_ ," L said meaningfully as she fearfully met his gaze over her shoulder, "but I was hoping to speak with you."

"U-uh..Now's not a very good time," Wily glanced nervously between L, who was blissfully unaware of the situation he'd put himself in, A, who's expression was beginning to mirror her own, and B, who was squinting suspiciously at L, red eyes flickering between his face and some invisible point of interest above the tiny detective's head.

"It'll only take a moment," L insisted, staring curiously at her friends.

"And _who_ ," B spoke up suddenly, tilting his head to the side with a forced smile, "the hell might you be?"

L merely blinked while Wily and Alternate gaped in silent horror.

"It's incredibly odd that I haven't seen you around here before," B continued, skull ticking further to the side with each word. L remained seemingly oblivious to the rising tension on the outside, pressing his thumb against his lip thoughtlessly. On the inside, however, he felt..utterly uneased by the dark-haired boy in front of him. He felt the hair on the back of his neck prickle, like he was being eyed by a predator. As if he were the mouse in some twisted game that this stranger wished to play. L raised his chin confidently. He would not be subdued.

"I am-"

"Nobody!" Wily blurted out, missing the slump of L's shoulder and the brief flash of something resembling disappointment on his face. "Just a guy I know!"

"Wily, you're being incredibly rude," B drawled with half-lidded eyes. "Let him answer for himself."

The blonde floundered for some excuse, or idea, or _anything_ to get Backup out of there.

" _Actually_ ," A interjected smoothly, "I think _we're_ the ones being rude. Clearly he needs a moment alone with our dear friend, and, as such, I think we should leave them alone."

It was at that very moment Wily became convinced that her best friend had descended from heaven to forever guide her out from between the metaphorical rock and hard place.

"No, I'd very much like to stay, thank you."

The other one had clearly clawed his way up from hell just to keep her there.

"You can't," A replied flatly, hooking his fingers into the collar of B's shirt, "I need your help."

"With what?" B asked incredulously, eyes going wide as A started to haul him away. Wily was vaguely reminded of a feral cat being dragged away for a bath, claws out and clinging desperately to the carpet. "Wait, no-"

"Seeyouguyslaterkbye!" A called over his shoulder, B fighting him every inch of the way. There was a brief moment of silence as the two left behind stared after them, a mix of utter embarrassment and dread filling Wily's stomach. She took a breath and counted to three before turning to L.

And immediately wished she'd just thrown herself out of the nearby window instead.

L's eyebrows were drawn together, his lips pursed tightly into a thin line. And yet, Wily noticed, his eyes were wide and sparkled with mirth. It was almost as if he couldn't decide if he was deeply disturbed or highly amused.

"Are they usually like that?" L finally asked.

"Shut up, L," she scowled in humiliation, fighting the urge to bury her face in her hands once more.

"Yes, you're right; there's the more pressing matter of why I wished to speak with you," L told her, using her snark as a way to broach the subject.

"Well, I don't wish to speak with you," Wily huffed stubbornly.

"Then perhaps you could just listen-"

"I don't want to listen, either."

" _Wily_ ," L sighed in exasperation.

"You hit me in the _eye_ ," Wily reminded him, "with a _ball_."

"I assure you, I remember; I was there after all," he countered, ignoring her as she fumed silently, "beside, if you'll recall, you hit _me_ in the face with a ball _repeatedly_."

"That doesn't count!" she defended her actions childishly. "You deserved that!"

"I don't think I'd go that far."

"Well, I do."

"Could you _please_ just-"

" _No_ ," Wily frowned. "I'm still angry with you. I'll talk to you when I'm ready."

"..But we are speaking. You are talking to me this very moment."

"You know what I meant, smartass," Wily snapped.

L paused.

"Very well," he conceded. "We will discuss the matter when you deem necessary."

" _Thank you_ ," she scoffed before storming away. L watched her go, one hand in his pocket and the other pressed against his mouth.

Wily entered her room and belly flopped onto her bed, closing her sore eyes. Okay, _maybe_ she'd overacted. Wily smirked. But, then again, that'd been the plan. She snickered to herself. L wasn't the only one capable of testing the limits of their friendship. Oh, sure, she'd really been pissed about the tennis ball incident, but she knew she'd been asking for it. Wily was well aware of her bratty tendencies. She couldn't help it; it came from being the princess of the family. That being said, she was curious to see how far he'd go to patch things up. That had obviously been his intention, although whether or not Quillish had ordered him to do it was up for debate. Looking back, she should've realized it would backfire for her, but at the present time, she lulled herself to sleep with thoughts of tennis balls and ice cream.

Wily cracked her eyes open hours later, only to groan in agony and shut them again. She sighed and sat up, eyes remaining closed, stretching her arms up high over her head and longing to rub the sleep from her orbs. Slowly, she parted her lids in another attempt.

"Are you ready to talk yet?"

Wily gave a terrified screech and promptly fell off her bed, cursing as she hit the floor. _Hard_.

"What is _wrong_ with you?!" Wily demanded of the boy crouching precariously at the end of her bed like some creepy as hell gargoyle watching her sleep. It'd be comforting if it wasn't so damn unsettling.

"I suppose that depends on your definition of the term 'wrong'," L replied shamelessly.

"Oh, my _god_!" she hissed.

"You never answered my question," L pointed out

" _Get out_!" Wily snapped, pointing towards the door.

"Is that a no, then?"

" _Out_!"

"As you wish," he conceded, stepping down from her bed. Wily watched him walk to the door with hard eyes. He stopped. Turning back to her, he inquired curiously, "Are you aware that you snore?"

" _L_!"

* * *

After a few lazy hours of lounging about on her bed in the sunlight like a house cat, Wily languidly slid off her mattress and headed downstairs to the kitchen for what she considered to be a well-deserved snack. She took her time ambling down the stairs, scared her slightly damaged depth perception would send her crashing down the steps and to her death. Or, at the very least, a broken arm. The last thing she needed was B drawing demonic summoning circles on her cast. She cringed. Or penises.

She made it to the cafeteria door, cursing her height disability as she cracked open the door to peer around instead of being able to look through the glass. Wily listened closely for any sign of the kitchen staff. Once satisfied that she was alone, she pranced into the room, happily humming the James Bond theme while she slid passed the serving station and into the kitchen area. She threw open the pantry door, eyeing the delectable goodies inside with sparkly eyes. Wily tore into the box of chocolate chip cookies, stacking them high into her palm and cradling them against her chest like something precious, totally ignoring that she resembled the chubby mouse from Cinderella. She backed out of the space with a pleased air, using her left hand to shut the door.

"May we speak now?"

Wily jumped, squealing in alarm, her prized cookies tumbling over and scattering on the floor. She gaped at L, who had been standing behind the door. Her mouth opened and closed several times, trying to grasp the situation at hand.

"Pardon the intrusion, but I thought it best to wait until after you'd finished raiding the pantry to approach you," L explained in a bored tone. "It was not my intention to startle you. This time."

" _You're_ startled," Wily grumbled testily.

"I assure you, I am very much _un_ startled."

"Shut up," she sighed in annoyance. Wily stared gloomily at the remains of what had once been her snack, shattered into a million (or like, twenty) pieces on the ground, the five second rule long since passed. It was with much dismay that she mumbled, "My cookies.."

"Truly a waste," L agreed with a grim nod, covering their tiny, broken bodies with his handkerchief.

"..How did you even find me?"

"You've been in your room all day, and you missed lunch. It's not a stretch to believe you would wind up here sooner or later."

"….How do you know I've been in my room all day and that I missed lunch?..."

"Mr. Wammy told me."

 _Also I had cameras installed_.

"Oh," Wily eyed him warily, "I guess that makes sense.."

L suddenly perked up.

"Now then, shall we-"

"No," Wily frowned, "still mad."

She eyed her handkerchief covered cookies.

"With good reason."

"I see," L responded evenly. "Perhaps another time then."

Wily bent down to begin cleaning up the crumbs.

"Yeah, maybe some other-"

She glanced up, blinking at L's sudden disappearance.

"…Time."

"Wily!"

Wily nearly jumped out of her skin at Frida's voice. She peeked up at the woman with dread. Frida's disappointed face said it all. Wily gave a weak smile, hoping her cuteness would save her. Frida sternly pointed towards the door. Wily scowled, thinking of L.

 _That asshole._

* * *

Wily's fingers brushed against the spines of the books as she made her way down one of the many aisles in the library, searching for one book in particular to help her with her literature homework (that may or may not have been due two days ago). She cringed when her finger caught on one of the larger tombs, sending it crashing to the floor with an acoustic _BOOM!_

" _Shhhhhhhh!_ " came the hiss of the batty old librarian with crudely drawn on eyebrows, cat eye glasses that perfectly framed her smoldering glare that held nothing but contempt for everything living, and a gray bun that was pulled up so tight, Wily was sure that if she ever let it down, the harpy's skin would immediately take on the appearance of a Shar-pei. This specimen of motherly affection was named Ms. Haxby, but Wily had a much more suiting name for her.

 _Sharpie eyebrowed bitch_ , Wily's nose scrunched up with irritation. She shoved the book back into place and continued on down the rows of bookshelves. She spotted the giant hardback easily amongst the other, more practical sized, books, looking more like a potential murder weapon than some freaking reading material. Wily sighed sulkily and heaved the monstrosity off the bookshelf, inhaling sharply at the weight. She propped it up against the shelf and cracked it open, flipping through the ridiculous amount of pages. Pulling a face, she lifted Bookzilla back into her arms.

"Is now a good time to speak?" a hushed whisper slithered passed her ears, L's ghostly face suddenly appearing in the gaping hole the book had left behind. Wily shrieked, dropping her only weapon in favor of making some pitiful Jazz hand motions, throwing herself back and into the parallel bookshelf behind her. She groaned, rubbing her back and glaring at the unbothered expression of L. She froze when she felt the towering structure behind her begin to rock back. Wily watched in silent horror as the bookshelf she'd knocked in to tipped backwards and into _another freaking bookshelf_ , creating a domino effect. Children scattered about the library cried out, scurrying away from the danger of being flattened by _books_.

"I'll take that as a _no_ ," L mumbled from behind her. Wily's hands were plastered to her cheeks, and her mouth was open wide as she stared at the damage.

" _YOU!_ " the harpy screeched. "In the pigtails! Stay right where you are!"

Wily whirled around to face L and demand he tell the librarian what had happened..only to discover him long gone in the wake of her shock. And so, Wily did the only thing she could think to do at the time.

 _Fuck this._

And with that, she darted away, a furious old lady hot on her heels.

* * *

By the time Wily sat down for dinner with Alternate and Backup, she'd become a nervous wreck, flinching at sudden noises and repeatedly glancing over her shoulder.

"My, my," B smirked, "if I didn't know any better, I'd say our little coyote is frightened, A."

"I'm not "frightened"," Wily snapped, causing B to raise an eyebrow. A, ever the peacekeeper, stepped in with a placating tone.

"B just means that you're acting rather..jumpy. Is everything alright?"

"Everything is _fine_ ," Wily replied in exasperation.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with that mysterious stranger, would it?" B asked slyly. "What did you say his name was again?"

"I didn't," Wily responded flatly.

"Who is he, Wily?"

"A friend, _B_."

"What's his _name_ , Wily?"

"Oh, well, since you asked so nicely," Wily rolled her eyes, "none of your _business_ , B."

"Some kid shows up without _any_ warning, totally out of _nowhere_ -"

"B.." A tried, shifting uncomfortably.

"-no one's ever seen him before, except for you, of course, and you expect me to not ask _questions_?"

"B," A repeated more firmly.

Wily's eyes narrowed.

"Because if I didn't _know_ any better," B leaned forward pointedly, "I'd almost think that boy was Lost One."

Wily remained stone-faced and silent, causing B to scowl.

"Because if that _was_ Lost One, you'd _tell_ us, y'know your _best friends_ ," B's voice raised as he progressed. " _Right?_ "

" _Backup_ ," A snapped, " _enough!_ "

" _Tch_ ," B hopped up from his crouching position, snatching his jar of jam off the table, "whatever."

Wily and Alternate watched B storm off angrily with wary eyes. Wily slouched in her seat, feeling like an absolute traitor.

"He'll get over it," A reasoned softly.

"I guess.."

"You didn't do anything wrong, Wily," he tried to console her. Wily wasn't so sure about that.

"You know I'm not..choosing him over you guys, right?" She asked uncertainly. A paused for a moment before offering a hesitant smile.

"Of course."

* * *

Wily cracked open her door carefully, peering into the darkness suspiciously. She quickly flipped her light on, bracing her nerves. Nothing. She crept into her room, glancing around with anxious eyes, then crouched down to check under her bed. When she came up empty, she moved over to her closet. Counting to three, she threw open the door, a cry of "a-ha!" falling from her mouth. Her shoulders sagged. Still nothing but air. She eyed her bathroom warily before wandering in, hitting the lightswitch as she walked passed. She opened cabinets, checked the shower, and even opened drawers.

A relieved laugh escaped her lips when she was positive the search in her room turned up empty. Perhaps she was just being paranoid after all. That thought still didn't keep her from locking her bedroom door before she gathered up her clean pajamas and headed back into the bathroom for a shower. Wily let the hot water chase the tension away from her muscles, avoiding her wounded eye as much as possible. She took her time washing her hair, trying to get the scent of a shitty day out of it with her girly smelling shampoo.

By the time she turned the water off, the mirror had completely fogged up from the steam. She dried off quickly and put on her pajamas, leaving her hair in the towel for a moment. Wily made her way to the sink to brush her teeth, pausing to stare at the mirror. Every scene from involving foggy mirrors from every horror movie _ever_ played through her mind, and she glanced around uneasily. Wily snorted, shaking her head at how ridiculous she was being. Popping up in a steamy mirror was too cliché for L. B, on the other hand...She grinned to herself while running her hand over the mirror, totally holding her breath because of the heat and _not_ from fear. Wily glanced behind her (just in case) and relaxed. The only reflection was hers.

She brushed her teeth with great care, taking time to get each side, and then combed through her medium-lengthed hair, grunting when she'd hit a tangle. Once finished, she eyed herself in the mirror, running her tongue over her teeth to make sure they were shiny and clean. She cringed when she caught sight of her swollen eye staring back at her. Wily sighed, turning away and opening her bathroom door to let the lingering steam escape.

"Are you ready to talk _now_?"

Wily gave a short scream, stepping back and into a puddle. Gripping the counter to try to stay upright proved to be futile when she went airborne for what felt like minutes before her back collided with the tiled floor, a pained "oof!" spilling from her lips as gravity made her it's bitch once more. Wily stared dazedly at the ceiling of her bathroom, too exhausted to make a fuss. She squinted when L's face eclipsed the light, giving the bastard a false halo in some twisted joke that didn't fool her in the least bit.

"That looked painful. You should really take better care to clean up any spilled water before you exit the shower. Perhaps if you had, this wouldn't have happened."

Wily stared up at him in disbelief.

 _That fucker._

"How..how did you get _in_ here?" she asked weakly. "The door was _locked_!"

"Oh," L's eyes roamed up toward the ceiling to give him that innocent look that he so favored, "was it?"

Wily's head spun.

"You take a remarkably long time in the shower, by the way. I'd always thought that belief was a stereotype," he commented, eyes boring down into hers unblinkingly as he bit his thumb. Wily remained utterly speechless, gaping up at him with pained eyes. L raised an eyebrow. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, L," she finally found her voice, resting the back of her head on the floor resignedly. "I'm _great_."

"Wonderful," L gave a nod, "it'd be a shame to be injured so closely in time with your other wound."

"Yep," she agreed blankly, "a real shame."

"Does this mean you are finally ready to chat?"

"Sure, L," Wily replied tiredly, finally caving in, "we can talk."

"Excellent."

Wily waited awkwardly for L to continue.

"Well?"

"Aren't you at least going to stand up? I feel it's very rude of you to be lying down at such a pivotal moment," he insisted with a slight frown. Wily's mouth dropped open. All of those times _he_ stayed crouched on the ground, and _she_ was being rude? And what was so pivotal about being cornered in your own bathroom, aside from the anxiety she'd have for the rest of her life involving opening bathroom doors? She hoisted herself up with a grunt, giving him a deadpan stare when she made it to her feet. L cleared his throat.

"It's been brought to my attention that I _might_ have been a bit.. _overzealous_ -"

"You mean an asshole."

"-in the ways of approaching our friendship-"

"Kind of like a twin swallowing the other in the womb before they're born."

"-and I realize that, perhaps, I may have..hurt your feelings with my honesty-"

"I don't have feelings."

"-and although your methods of..retribution were a bit _extreme_ ," he paused to give her a pointed stare, "I suppose they were not _totally_ unjustified-"

"I regret nothing."

"- _nor_ was your ire towards me," L's voice became strained as he continued. He dug into his back pocket, pulling out the red fabric that was her scarf, causing Wily's eyes to widen. How had she not noticed it was missing?

"I've thought over my words and actions carefully," he pressed on, his eyebrows furrowing like he couldn't fully comprehend what he was saying. His expression shifted uncomfortably, as if his next words pained him greatly, "And I.. _apologize_..for my behavior."

Wily nearly choked on air. L wasn't the type to _apologize_. Not for a damn thing. He'd almost decapitated her while playing tag and he didn't even blink.

"Is..is this another test?" she squinted at him suspiciously.

"Rest assured," L replied, holding out the vibrant material, "it is my sincerest hope that we might move on from this.. _incident_."

Wily eyed him uncertainly, gaze flickering back and forth between his earnest face and her scarf that rested in his palm. L fought the urge to fidget under her careful scrutiny. The last thing he needed to do was show that kind of weakness to the tiny hellion before him. She practically fed on that sort of thing.

"I got into a lot of trouble today because of you, y'know," she half argued, crossing her arms.

"I'll take care of the collateral damage," L promised. She looked away for a moment, pretending to weigh her options, wanting L to sweat it out for a few more seconds. Finally, she sighed, her expression softening.

"Alright, fine. I guess that I'm.. _sorry_ too," her face soured for a fleeting moment. "It was.. _wrong_ of me to..hit you and..stuff.."

"How big of you," L smirked.

"What was that?" Wily feigned confusion. "I couldn't hear you over _the pulsing of my eye_."

"You really should let that go," he mumbled. If Wily didn't know any better, she'd almost think that he was pouting. A brief period of silence washed over them as L's eyes took on a thoughtful gleam. "May I ask you a question?"

"I'm not helping you steal more ice cream right now, L," she frowned.

"No, nothing like that," L looked insulted. She wasn't sure if it was at the joke or that she'd refused him ice cream. L hesitated. "I've been wondering; why is this scarf so special to you?"

Wily fingered one of the small tassels on the end of her scarf, avoiding her friend's eyes. He watched with fascination as her fingers danced around his hand.

"My brother gave it to me," she finally answered. L looked up. He wondered how best to phrase his next question, not wanting to ruin their truce.

"And your brother is.."

"Dead," she replied softly. "He's dead."

L paused. He knew that his next words were the ultimate taboo in Wammy's House, but his curiosity was gnawing at him relentlessly.

"How did he die?"

Wily stopped, gaze a million miles away, and for a brief moment, L thought he'd finally pushed too far.

 _"Just take it! Take it and go!"_

"Wily?" L prodded in a totally un-nervous way. Wily blinked, shaking her head a bit. L waited.

"Maybe another time," she gave a half-smile. The dark-haired boy released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He cleared his throat, and nodded towards the scarf.

"I think that, just this once, I might have been a bit too hasty in my judgment."

"Huh?"

"The scarf," he continued on as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "it suits you."

Wily felt a shy grin crawl across her face. She ducked her head and finally clasped her hand around the soft material, brushing against L's smooth palm. Her fingers lingered as her eyes flickered up to his, a serious expression suddenly taking over.

"Full disclosure, I was totally testing to see how long you'd keep asking to make amends," she confessed sheepishly. L's eyes glittered with amusement, lips twitching into a knowing smirk.

"I was _very_ aware," he replied with a smug tone. Wily let the weight of that sentence and Iit's meaning sink in.

 _Son of a_ bitch.

"...YOU _ASSHOLE!"_

* * *

 **Look at all that fluff right there you guys.** _**Look at it.**_ **Ahem. Alright, I have one more surprise for you lovely noodles. I threw up some drawings on DeviantArt of Wily and A! Don't get me wrong, they're super rough because I haven't really had time for much else, but it's a start! I have posted the links on my profile... But if you're super lazy like I am they are conveniently placed below.**

 **For A, press:**

caintoyourabel .deviantart art/A-yyyyye-613140594

 **For Wily, press:**

 **caintoyourabel. deviantart art/The-Many-Faces-of-Wily-606096524**

 **For the option to forfeit your soul, please press 3.**

 **Make sure you add www. And the .com to those links up there or they won't work you guys. Or you could literally just Google my username. Either works. Also. I decided to leave the not really a chapter up. Mainly because it confused the hell out of a lot you guys, and I'm a bit of an ass. If you've been with me since the beginning, you already know this. *smiles charmingly at my new readers* The quality of sarcasm I give is totally worth it. But also because I really like it. Some of you wondered if what Mello said was true and that he'd have shown up by now if it weren't for writing schedule. Honestly, if I'd been writing the way I was when I first started this story, we'd be into the sequel, and yes, Mello would have made an appearance by now. But that's life for ya. If you guys have anything you'd like to see happen, give a shout! I love hearing ideas from you guys! Until next time my munchkins!**

 **FireFox1313: XD honestly I was terrified that someone was going to pop up and be like "THAT'S NOT HOW YOU PLAY TENNIS", because I really have have no idea how to play like.. At all. Sorry for making you wait so long! Hope this chapter was as entertaining as the tennis match!**

 **Honakaa-Honami: Gahhh, you flatter me you magnificent snickerdoodle! Don't worry, no sleep just means eye bags, which means you get to join the support group for insomniacs we've started. We're thinking of making shirts. XD no but really, thank you for the kind words, and I hope you managed to catch up on your sleep! Sorry to keep you waiting so long for chapters, I certainly hope this one was worth the wait!**

 **Midnightsalem: I'm not going to lie, my fear of being a tennis ball's bitch is what has kept me from learning tennis. Plus my innate ability to fail at staying upward most of the time. The whole thing just looks painful. And it's outdoors where there's sun and I'm just so tragically pale. It wouldn't end well for anyone. XD hope you enjoyed the chapter and sorry to have kept you waiting!**

 **jurriarene: One new chapter hot off the grill, pour vous. Sorry about the wait!**

 **ddmahan922: XD I'm going to be honest, I giggled like the entire time I was typing the scene. And then cackled when people started messaging me confused as all hell. I'm a sadist at heart. Thanks for all the well wishes and patience! I'm super happy that the wedding is finally over and we can all stop being stressed over what could go wrong! Hope this chapter lived up to it's expectations!**

 **Flutter101: Thank you for the kind wishes! The wedding was pretty awesome overall! A's definitely one of my favorite characters to write, and if you're like him then you're pretty awesome! Wily's name is pronounced Why-lee (like the cartoon coyote whose name is Wild E. Coyote, but everyone pronounces it Wily). Sorry about making you wait so long for a new chapter! Hope you enjoyed it as much as the others!**

 **mychemicalyoutubers: FIRST OF ALL, let me start by telling you how much I love your freaking username omg. I'm still pretty heartbroken about the break up. *whispers* May what is dead never die and may death never stop you. Ahem. Anywaysss~ XD I won't lie, I totally put that last chapter up with the full intent on confusing the hell out of everyone (and making them laugh). I know Wily didn't kick L's ass, but I promise there will be plenty of action later on to satiate your hunger for violence. Sorry about the wait and hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Shaley-9: XD it's always the quote that draws them in! I'm really glad everyone seems to like Wily,I was a bit worried she'd come off as too bratty at times, and I know most people don't really like that in a character. Sorry about the wait and I hope you liked the new chapter as well!**


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